No Need for a New Start!
by Bean Bandit
Summary: The Beginning of the end...or the end of the Beginning?Story Deceased
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. And, let's be frank, if you don't know that, why are you reading this? They belong to various talented people who are not me. I am perverting them for my own use. Any attempt at suing will be a profound waste of time. 

AN: Big thanks to Thermopyle, who helped me iron out the grammatical errors in the first draft! Even I find it a lot more readable now!!! Thanks!!!

************************************

****

No need for a New Start

Prologue

Ranma Saotome walked slowly along the forest path, hands tightening on the straps of the pack he wore. He paused a moment, adjusting the pack and stared up into the canopy of trees. _Jeez, _he thought irritably, _This trail goes on forever. I wonder where my 'Grandpa's' shrine IS? _He resumed steadily hiking toward his first meeting with his grandfather, more than a little uneasily. His mother hadn't seen her father in many years, and Ranma wasn't sure how he would react to seeing a heretofore unknown grandson show up on his doorstep. His mother had implied that there had been a feud of some sort, but she hadn't gone into much detail. In fact, he hadn't even known about his grandfather until the worst day of his life, about a week ago… 

Ranma snuck into his mother's home by way of the window to the room she had set aside for him. His hands shook as he pulled himself over the sill, so much so that he fell into the house in a very undignified manner. The shock of the confrontation he had just had was beginning to wear off, Ranma felt tears begin to sting his eyes. His thoughts were torn away from his morose pondering as the door to his room opened suddenly. 

"Ranma?" called Nodoka Saotome, matriarch of the Saotome household. 

"Urk! Mom!" He hastily backed up against the wall as his mother walked in. Nodoka's eyes went wide as her gaze fell on her somewhat disheveled son. 

"Oh, Dear. Are you all right, son?" Ranma winced as he shook his head. He watched his mother, wide-eyed, as she approached. He'd never admit it, of course, but the time he'd spent hiding from his mother as 'Ranko Tendo' had instilled a deep rooted fear of her and her family katana. Nodoka noticed this, a stab of pain making itself felt in her heart. Shaking it off, she extended her hand to her son. 

"Ranma, even a man needs to have someone to talk to. Please, let me help." She implored. He looked down at his hands, still shaking with rage and horror at what he had done. 

"Momma, I've done something pretty bad. I-I don't think you'll be able to forgive me for this," he said shakily. Nodoka frowned worriedly in the dim light. He was trying to hold it in, but she could hear the guilt and unshed tears in his voice. She slowly walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm, gently. 

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that, son? Please, tell me what's wrong,"

"I dunno where ta start," he confessed, seemingly steeling himself for an ordeal. Nodoka drew him into an embrace, smiling encouragingly. 

"How about the beginning?" she suggested faintly. Ranma paused, weighing where to begin. 

"Awright. I wandered into Doc Tofu's office, and I was feelin' pretty bad. I'd been havin' a bad day, even worse than usual. To start with, I had a big fight with Akane, and she was even madder than usual. But just before she could clobber me, Nabiki saved my ass…" Nodoka winced slightly at the crudity, but gestured for him to continue. 

"She…saved you?" 

"Yeah. Ever since Pops an' Mister Tendo tried to get us married about…a year ago? Nabiki's been getting nicer while Akane gets meaner. Lots of times she covers for me so I can get outta the house for a little peace," Ranma explained, relaxing ever so slightly. "Anyway, Nabiki saved me and turned me loose for a little while, but instead of peace today I'd managed to run into Ryoga, Mousse, and Kuno. It musta been two for one day, 'cause I fought all of 'em one on one, then they all ganged up on me, in a big fight. It was pretty brutal, even though I beat 'em all," Nodoka smiled a little as he added this, casually, not a boast, just a simple statement of fact. 

"Anyway," he continued, "I wandered into Doc Tofu's office, and he was tidyin' up some cuts I got from Ryoga's bandanna, when Kasumi runs in, and scares the hell outta both of us. I was pretty stressed out already, on account of fightin' with almost everyone I saw for about two days straight, and Doc Tofu's still a little skittish when Kasumi comes 'round. Anyway, even if we were both at our best, we still woulda freaked. I ain't never seen Kasumi like that before, an' I never wanna again. Her hair was all mussed up, an' she was cryin'. After a few minutes, the Doc an I managed to get out of her that she and Nabiki were headed to market when Shampoo an' Ukyo jumped 'em. She saw them hitting Nabiki, and she heard someone say something about how Nabiki was finally gonna learn to mind her own business an' leave me an' my fiancée's alone," he trailed off, staring at his hands which had begun to shake again as he remembered. Nodoka was listening calmly, then she began to put the clues together, and with a growing sense of dread, nodded at him to continue. 

"Ranma, it's all right. Please, tell me what happened," 

"I-I was already feeling pretty upset, but when I heard that they attacked Nabiki, It was like something happened in my brain. It was like watching myself from outside my body," he admitted. "I just bolted from the Doc's office as fast as I could, even though Doc Tofu tried to stop me. I was scared to death, but mad as hell, too. Nabiki's done lots of stuff to me, but she always has a good reason, and a plan, y' know? I dunno if ya know or not, but before Mister Tendo started taking students again, then only thing keepin' the Tendos off the streets was Nabiki's little games ta get money. Even with me an' the bottomless panda livin' there, she still managed ta keep the dojo in the black." Ranma sounded grimly amused. Nodoka gaped at the revelation. She'd known about the pictures of her son's cursed form that were sold by the middle Tendo daughter at Ranma's school, and she hadn't been pleased. But, she'd reasoned, as Ranma knew and hadn't put a stop to it, there was really no reason to intervene. However, her estimation of Soun Tendo dropped several degrees. It was extremely unmanly to allow the work of providing for the family to fall to his daughters. She shook off her thoughts as Ranma went on.

"Anyway, I started roof hopping all over the place, trying to find out where they were. I finally tracked 'em to a vacant lot where me an' Ryoga fight all the time. I landed on the fence just in time t' see Shampoo belt Nabiki in the jaw, real hard. She went down like a ton a bricks…" Nodoka could hear the raw anger in her son's voice. Not for the first time, she marveled at how gentle and kind hearted he was. The thought of abusing his skills was abhorrent to him, as was the thought that anyone else might. "It was awful, Momma. I know people who don't train in the art aren't as tough as the people I hang around, but Nabiki…I could already see some bruises, and I figured maybe she had a concussion, but I could tell Shampoo pulled 'er punch. I saw Ukyo lift her spatula like she was gonna use it, an' it scared me silly. It was my fault they were hurting her, an' I started moving before I could think. I used a cold blast to freeze the metal part of Ukyo's weapon while I was running, and I jumped in front of Nabiki and punched her spatula, hard. It was weird, really. It just completely shattered, into a sort of dust. I guess I was trying so hard to control myself that I added more cold than I meant to," Ranma's voice became unsteady at that point, and on impulse, Nodoka gently wrapped her arms around him. Ranma barely noticed.

"Ukyo was kind of surprised at first, I think," he continued, in a detached tone, "She stared at me and the pieces for a minute before she yelled at me. I was all stressed out, so I started yelling back. I told them that I mighta forgiven them for the problems they caused at the wedding, but there was no honor in hurting someone weaker than they were, and I'd never forgive them for what they did. Then I told them I never wanted to see them again. They argued for a bit, sayin' stuff about Nabiki that was all wrong, and I got madder. My nerves were kinda revved up by then, and when Shampoo tried ta glomp me to get me to change my mind, I thought she was attacking, and I, and I…" Nodoka tightened her embrace. 

"You hit her," she stated calmly. The idea of a man hitting a woman was horrible, she had to admit, but the kind of day Ranma described, and the provocation he had been given by those two girls…well, she wasn't going to quibble about this one. They were martial artists, after all. 

"Yeah," Ranma acknowledged dully. "And that was when things went to hell in a handbasket," Nodoka nodded, expecting this, knowing it would take a lot more than what her son had already told her to get him this upset.

"Shampoo was PISSED," he continued. "She jumped up from where she fell and screamed something about men knowing their place. She pulled out her bon bori and started swinging. The fight took about a minute. I tried to use pressure points, but she'd learned the bakusai tenketsu, so her skin was almost as tough as Ryoga's, so I had ta take her out. Hard," Nodoka's face was a grim mask. 

"And Ukyo-san?" she prompted softly. Ranma's look turned pained. 

"After Shampoo…fell," Ranma choked, "I turned to her, wondering if she was gonna give me any trouble, and the look in her eyes…," Ranma trailed off as his valiant battle against the misery ended. Tears began tracking their way down his cheeks.

"She was scared of me, Momma. She backed away from me. I didn't even think about it then, I mean, I needed to get Nabiki to Doc Tofu's fast…"

"It bothers you, doesn't it?" Nodoka asked suddenly. Ranma nodded tearfully. 

That seemed to be all the encouragement Ranma needed. As his mother tended to his cuts, He began pouring out his heart to her, telling her all about his daily life, how miserable he had been since the wedding attempt. Nodoka nodded throughout his story not interrupting, save for soft encouraging noises. When he was finished, Nodoka gave her son a look of horrified sympathy. She hadn't visited the Tendo's in awhile, but the kind of things Ranma described off-handedly as part of his day to day life recently were things that no one should have to go through. She knew that her son was something of a trouble magnet, but to be alone against all those people, with his only support coming from Nabiki…? A cold anger built in her stomach. Why hadn't Genma done anything about this? When his story finally wound down, he looked up at her, gratitude in his expression. 

"I…ah, thanks, mom," he mumbled quietly. "for listenin' an' all…and not hating me, for doing that stuff," Nodoka shook her head. 

"Hate you? Son, I know they backed you into a corner. While I can't say I approve of the necessary action, it WAS necessary. You didn't enjoy it, and that is what you need to focus on, Ranma. All you did is come to the defense of one weaker than yourself. Ukyo and Shampoo brought what happened upon themselves. You don't need to thank me, Ranma," she told him softly. Ranma smiled crookedly. 

"Nobody's ever really listened ta my side before," he said simply. Nodoka looked faintly angry with that.

"They should have," 

"I'm used to it," Ranma said mildly, shrugging.

"You don't have to continue to pretend with me, son," she told Ranma sadly. I'm well aware that you hide your pain because you fear I would deem it 'unmanly'," 

"Ah… well…Isn't it?" 

"It isn't unmanly to have feelings, Ranma. What matters is how one deals with them. And, while you haven't always handled them properly, I can hardly fault you for your lack of experience now, can I?" She said, a wry smile touching her lips. 

"I guess not," Ranma answered warily. Nodoka turned back to the matter at hand, well aware that her son was uncomfortable with the current conversation. 

"Have you come to any conclusions?" Ranma looked panicked for a split second. 

"Hah?"

"Relax, son. I'm not going to ask you to do anything you don't want to, I just want to know what you think about the current situation," Nodoka assured him, making calming gestures. Ranma stared at the floor for a moment, gathering his thoughts. After a moment, encouraged by a warm smile from his mother, he spoke hesitantly. 

"Ah… well, I was thinkin' it might be best for everybody concerned if I left…" Nodoka raised an eyebrow at that, and he trailed off, blushing. 

"Aw, I guess it's a dumb idea…" Nodoka's other eyebrow shot up to join the first. 

"Why do you say that? Have you thought about all the consequences?" She asked reasonably. 

"Um… yeah, I think I thought about that. I was hoping to go on a training trip somewhere, but I guess that's running away, ain't it," he said bleakly. Nodoka nodded, with a faint smile. 

"Yes, yes it is," 

"So that's out then," he concluded. Nodoka tilted her head and gazed quizzically at her son. 

"Why?" she asked reasonably. Ranma stared at his mother, eyes wide. 

"Nani?"

"Why is it 'out'?" she repeated. 

"Um…Heh…Don't you think it's unmanly to run away from your problems?"

"If I did, your father and I would never have married," Nodoka said, wryly. Ranma blinked. 

"I…I don't get it," he admitted. His mother grinned impishly at him. 

"Three words. Saotome Secret Technique," his mother intoned as solemnly as his father normally did, then she ruined the impression by giggling. Ranma stared at her. He imagined he must look rather funny, with his mouth hanging open like it was. After a moment, he got over his shock and began to laugh with his mother. 

After a few moments, when they had recovered, Ranma grinned sheepishly. Nodoka looked at him fondly. 

"What of your fiancées, son?" The sad look returned. 

"I want to break the engagements," he said softly. Nodoka was disappointed, but she understood. No matter what she wanted for her son, what Ranma needed now was support. The question of the engagements had plagued him for too long. If it was within her power, she would lift this burden from her son. 

"Have things between you and Akane deteriorated that far?" she asked, trying to determine the amount of thought that had gone into the statement her son had just made. Ranma winced. 

"Yeah," he admitted. "It wasn't always this bad, but after the wedding, it started to get a lot worse. She gets mad at every little thing, even when I decide not to talk so we won't fight, she clobbers me. I thought I loved her once, but, no matter how I feel, I can't deny that I make her unhappy. I think it might be best for her and me if I…leave. Isn't it?" He looked up at his mother questioningly, but she ignored the question for the moment. 

"What about the others?" She asked. 

"No one else has a valid claim," he stated flatly, shaking his head. Nodoka looked at him oddly. 

"What about Ukyo-san?" His mother asked curiously, mentally wincing at the hard look that crossed his features when the okonomiyaki chef was mentioned. 

"I didn't wanna say anything, because I was afraid of hurting Ucch-Ukyo's feelings, but she ain't got a valid claim," he growled. Nodoka blinked. 

"Why not?" 

"She gambled away the dowry long before Pop stole it," Ranma said angrily. He followed that statement with a short explanation of he and Ukyo's encounter with the Gambling King when they were children, and his recent return. Nodoka listened intently, chuckling at the end of the narrative. She nodded thoughtfully. "And Shampoo and Kodachi are just here because they don't think what I want matters," he added when he finished. Nodoka nodded again. 

"So what you want is a fresh start," she observed. Ranma looked at her, shyly. 

"Yeah," he murmured nervously. "Unless you don't think it's a good idea." Nodoka was struck by that statement. With a few words, he had revealed how much her opinion meant to him. He was willing to endure a life that he had come to consider intolerable, if she wished him to. She was more determined than ever to allow him the chance he needed. The constant pressure could not continue if she wanted to consider herself a good mother. There was a time to consider honor, she reflected, and a time where things that were more important must take precedence, like the happiness of her son. 

"I think it is," she said slowly. Ranma's eyes grew wide. It was evident he hadn't expected his mother to agree, but as a smile slowly formed on his face, Nodoka was sure she had made the right decision. "But," she added, "As an alternative for going back on the road, may I make a suggestion?" 

Ranma nodded eagerly. 

And that was how he came to be here, headed up to a shrine in the mountains, to stay with his mother's father, Katsuhito Masaki. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous. His mother had told him the reason he hadn't ever seen his grandfather was that he and Genma had never gotten along, and he had opposed Nodoka's decision to marry him. Ranma smiled to himself. He liked his grandfather already. He wasn't sure how his grandfather would feel about the son of Genma, even though his mother assured him that her father wouldn't hold his father against him. Ranma wasn't so sure. It seemed like everyone else he'd ever met, had, but he went anyway. _Anyway, _He mused, _It should get me away from the constant fighting for awhile. _He smiled up at the sun over top of the forest canopy, reveling in the fact that he got to travel on a sunny day for once when he heard a rustling in the bush beside him. Suddenly, a wild looking cyan-haired girl appeared, reeking of sake. 

"Who the hell are you!" the girl snarled. Ranma jumped back, shedding his pack as he went, and landing in a defensive crouch. 

"Ranma Sao-," he began, but she interrupted. 

"You're trespassing," she cut him off, wobbling slightly. Ranma blinked. 

"No, I'm-," he tried again, but again she interrupted. 

"What is it this time?" she snapped. "Is Doctor Clay back? Or is someone else going to kidnap me this time?!" 

"Hah??" Ranma asked, thoroughly bewildered at this point. 

"Screw it. I'll kick your ass, then you can crawl back and tell whoever you're working for that you can't get Ryoko Habuki THAT easily," she said, summoning an energy ball into her hand. She closed her fingers around it, and with a snapping noise, the energy ball morphed into a four foot gleaming shaft of light. She waved it threateningly at Ranma, and he blinked again. 

__

How the hell do I get myself INTO these messes???

***********************************

Next Chapter: Yosho informs the Masaki house hold of Ranma's imminent arrival, and Ranma and Ryoko throw down! Please look forward to it!

***********************************

Once Again, Thanks to Thermopyle, for proofreading this about nine times to iron out the wrinkles in my sloppy writing. I am in your debt. 


	2. No Need for a New Start___Ch.1-Here's Ra...

Note: The characters in this story don't belong to me. They belong to other people, and I am perverting them for my own use. And by other people, I mean corporations with lots of money. Way more than I'll ever have. So no lawsuits, ok?

****

**********

Chapter One: Here's Ranma (Again)

Or

****

No Need for a Really Bad First Impression

Yosho Masaki strode into the home his son-in-law owned, a thoughtful look on his face. He entered the living room, looked around briefly, and, seeing no one, continued into the kitchen. There he was greeted by a wonderful smell, and the sight of a young girl, about eleven years of age, leaning over a hot stove. Her companion, a small animal by the name of Ryo-Ohki, noticed his arrival and alerted the young girl to his presence with a cheerful sounding, "Miya!""Grandfather! Konnichiwa!" She said cheerily as she turned and saw Yosho.

"Konnichiwa, Sasami. It smells wonderful in here," he commented, returning her smile. "Is everyone here?" 

"Hai, I think so, Grampa," she said scratching her head in thought. "Tenchi just got in from the fields, and his father has been home for a little while now. Everyone else has been here all day, except for Ryoko. She went out to buy some sake, and hasn't come back yet." 

"Well, I'd hoped to tell everyone at once, but I suppose she'll have to find out later," he mused thoughtfully. 

"What is it, Grampa?" Sasami asked curiously, noting for the first time he had a letter in his hands. The Masaki patriarch smiled at the blue haired little girl, but didn't answer directly. 

"Can you get away for a few moments, Sasami?"

"Sure! It needs to simmer for a little while, anyway," she told him, nodding. 

"Good. Can you gather everyone in the living room for me, please?"

"Hai!" she said quickly, smiling again. She tilted her head down, and the cabbit, who'd been quiet until now, hopped atop her head with a happy 'Miya!'. Giggling, the child dashed from the room. 

As Tenchi Masaki entered the living room of the Masaki home, he noted that all the current residents of the Masaki home, save one, were gathered in the living room in front of his grandfather _Looks like a family meeting, _he mused as he took a seat beside his father. _I wonder where Ryoko is?_

"So," remarked Tenchi's father, "What's going on, dad?" 

"Yeah, Grampa," Tenchi leaned forward, running a hand through his close cropped brown hair, his dark eyes concerned, "What did you want to talk to us about?" he asked. A little red-haired girl, approximately Sasami's age, piped up. 

"Well, This had better be important! I can't leave my experiment for long," she said irritably. Off to the left, a young woman with long purple hair made a shushing noise in the little red-head's direction. 

"Hush, Miss Washu. My brother wouldn't waste our time with nothing. This will be important." she said. Washu snapped her fingers, and a black hole appeared in mid-air, and out of it, a very large and menacing gun dropped into her hands. Quickly, she grabbed it, flipped the safety, and as the gun began to hum, pointed it at the purple haired young woman. 

"What was that, Ayeka?" cackled Washu. Ayeka sweatdropped, and held her hands up in the classic 'please don't shoot me' pose. 

"My apologies, Washu-chan," she said hastily. Washu snickered, and pulled the trigger. A very large flag, with the word 'ZAP!' written all over it burst explosively out of the barrel. Ayeka flinched as it came out, and Washu chuckled lightly again, and tossed the gun into another conveniently appearing black hole. 

"Much better," she said lightly. Yosho smiled slightly, then cleared his throat. 

"Ladies, I hate to interrupt, but I have news. My grandson will be coming up to stay with me, in the shrine, and…" at this, the final occupant of the room spoke up. 

"Oh My! Honorable Grandfather, Why is Tenchi going to the shrine? Doesn't he like staying with us anymore?" The blond woman who'd spoken seemed near tears. 

"Ano…, I'm not going anywhere, Mihoshi," Tenchi soothed her quickly. "Let's hear Grampa out before we jump to conclusions, OK?" 

"Hai," Mihoshi chirped, brightening nearly instantly. 

Tenchi sighed. It was a good thing the blond Galaxy Police officer was possessed of such a sunny disposition. With her mercurial temperament, if she had been easy to anger…well, He preferred not to think about that. His mind was reeling badly enough over the implications of his grandfather's abbreviated thought. 

"Ah…Grampa?" he asked hesitantly. Yosho smiled at his grandson. 

"Yes?"

"How is it possible for you to have another grandson? Dad, did you and mom…" Tenchi turned to his father. 

"Not us, Tenchi. You were our only child," Noboyuki assured his son quickly, making a warding off gesture with his hands. A lazy, lecherous grin appeared nearly instantly. "It's too bad, though. You could use the help around here, with so many pretty ladies to please and all…" 

"Dad! Not now!" Tenchi snapped wearily, noting out of the corner of his eye that Ayeka was giving his father a positively evil stare. He almost smiled at that, but shook his head to clear it, turned back to his grandfather. 

"Grampa?" He asked. 

"It isn't something I enjoy discussing, Tenchi, but your mother had a younger sister. Nodoka," Tenchi's eyes grew wide at that. 

"WHAT?!!" He, Ayeka and Sasami exclaimed in unison.

"All right!!" Washu grinned. Tenchi already felt sorry for the cousin he never knew he had. He could almost HEAR Washu's gleeful thoughts about 'another guinea pig'. Yosho, however, ignored this.

"Yes. Shortly before your mother and father were married, Nodoka approached me with her intention to marry a man she loved, a wandering martial artist, by the name of Genma Saotome. I agreed to meet the young man, and found him…somewhat lacking," he said, nodding seriously. Noboyuki snorted. 

"Achika and I were in the next room that night, Dad," He told Yosho dryly. "You might as well tell Tenchi the truth. You hated his guts. Not only that, but you dragged Nodoka out back and the two of you had the mother of all screaming matches. You called the guy every name in the book," he said reprovingly. 

To Tenchi's extreme surprise, Yosho looked chastised. It was extremely unlike him to show any human failings, _At least_, Tenchi mused sourly while rubbing his head absently, _during my swordplay lessons, anyway_. He looked at his grandfather expectantly, and was not disappointed. 

"I may have mishandled the situation," he admitted. Off to one side, Tenchi heard Ayeka's muted gasp of surprise. _She must be as new to his sudden humility as I am, _he judged. Yosho went on, "In any case, I forbade her to marry him, as I had some prior experience with the martial arts master that was training Genma, and thus had reason for my…misgivings. Not surprisingly, Nodoka defied my wishes," The old man sighed. Tenchi raised his eyebrows at this, and turned to his father, who apparently knew something about this situation. 

"Not surprisingly may be the understatement of the decade, Tenchi. Nodoka was just as beautiful as your mother, but she was a real hell raiser, where your mom was a real lady. Nodoka was stubborn, opinionated, and, a little pushy. But she was also one of the nicest people I've ever met, aside from your mother. Ryoko reminds me a bit of her, actually," Noboyuki grinned at his son, then trailed off thoughtfully. Tenchi nodded to himself. Having it explained like that made perfect sense to him. Ayeka's expression turned sour. 

"She must have been real trouble if she was anything like that monster woman," she grumbled. Yosho inclined his head at her comment. 

"Yes, She was," He said candidly. "But I wouldn't trade a minute of it. She was a wonderful daughter, and I made the biggest mistake of my life telling her that her husband wouldn't be welcome in my home," Tenchi and Ayeka gaped. 

"Grampa, How could you?" Sasami said in a tone of shocked amazement. 

"I did what I thought was best," he shrugged tiredly. "Although I do regret the rift that the incident created between us," he said quietly. Tenchi looked up at that. 

"So…Her son is coming here?" he asked hesitantly. 

"Yes." Yosho nodded, waving the letter he still carried briefly. "Nodoka has swallowed her pride and come to me regarding a problem that her husband has created in Ranma's upbringing. She wishes for him to be able to get a fresh start, away from his father, and I wanted to make some small amends for the years I haven't seen my sole surviving daughter, so I agreed to take him in. What I was hoping to ask was for Ranma to be able to stay here," Yosho said calmly. "I think he'd rather be comfortable than stay by himself in the shrine," he explained. Tenchi's mind was awhirl with the implications. With just him and his father and a household of girls, he was often without someone to talk to, and just have male companions his own age. Even if the Masaki house had more than its share of things that should remain secret, the prospect of having someone he could hang around with, without the girls vying for his attention having a problem with it, nearly made him salivate. 

"Ranma, Huh?" Tenchi mused. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea, as the extraterrestrial origin of many of the household's occupants would be a difficult thing to hide. He wondered what sort of person his cousin was. As he was thinking, Mihoshi piped up, running her hand through her curly blond hair. 

"I…I think it's a good idea," She said hesitantly. "He is in some sort of trouble?" she asked. 

"Of a sort," Yosho said carefully, with a wry smile. "His father has only created some of his problems, but enough have occurred, that Nodoka fears he is on the verge of a breakdown if he remains in the situation,". Ayeka frowned at that, then placed her hands in her lap, considering the intricate embroidery of her kimono. 

"If we can be of any help to him, we should. As Yosho's grandson he is a member of the Juraian Royal Family too, after all," she said finally, looking up. Tenchi winced at the added phrase. 

"Well, I guess so," he concurred. "Although I think that the fact that he belongs to the royal family shouldn't mean anything. He's family. That's all," Tenchi asserted. Yosho nodded, smiling at Tenchi's general kindheartedness. He looked to Noboyuki, and saw him nodding as well. 

"I haven't got a problem with it," he shrugged. "This is a big house, after all," 

"Well, then…" Yosho began, but trailed off at a sudden wailing. He looked to the source of the noise, and saw Ryo-Ohki, standing in Sasami's lap, back arched, and fur standing on end. The cabbit leapt off of the little girl's lap and bounded over to Washu.

"MIYA! Miya Miya Miyaaaa!!!!" The frenzied spaceship yowled. Washu knelt down and picked up the frantic animal. 

"What is it, Ryo- OH!" Washu's emerald eyes went wide. Tenchi was on his feet in an instant, the Tenchi-ken in hand. 

"Washu-chan? What's wrong?" he asked urgently. Washu was already moving toward the door. 

"Ryoko's in a fight," The short redhead tossed over her shoulder as she began to run. "With someone approaching the shrine. She's drunk," Tenchi groaned, but quickly followed. A moment later, the Masaki living room was empty as the rest of the household followed. 

###

Ranma sighed and wondered if he'd managed to piss off a Kami or something. 

"Listen, Lady," he said, with rapidly eroding patience, raising his hands placatingly. "I really don't wanna kidnap you. I'm just on my way to my Grampa's place. OK?" The wild looking blue-haired girl scowled, and, weaving slightly, took a step forward, gathering energy in her right hand. Ranma backflipped, shedding his backpack as he went, landing in a defensive stance. "Look, Dammit, I don't wanna fight you!!" he howled, frustrated. Ryoko grinned slightly, with the manic air that only the drunk can muster. 

"Sure, buddy. Heard it all before. Still been kidnapped twice though, and I've had enough of seeing the inside of intergalactic bad guy's spaceships," she growled, and closed her hand around the energy ball, which, with an odd snapping noise, changed to a gleaming gold energy sword. Ranma frowned at the spaceship remark. It was certainly possible, he admitted to himself. His own experience with the fantastic was evidence enough of that. But then, She WAS drunk. Well, he'd have to sort that out later. Then he saw her sword. It was difficult to impress Ranma Saotome, but showing him a technique he didn't know definitely did the trick. 

"Hey, how'd ya do that?" 

"Shut up and FIGHT!" she snarled. 

Ryoko's alcohol drenched blood howled in her veins as she rushed the intruder and began slicing the air with her sword in a furious attack pattern. Her opponent instantly began a series of evasions, dodging every swing of Ryoko's sword, matching her tempo and inhuman speed precisely.

__

I can't believe this! Ryoko thought hazily. _How can a human be this fast? Even drunk, I should have gutted him by now!_. She abandoned the energy sword and began another attack by throwing a series of punch and kick combinations at him, but to no avail. Angrier, she switched again to energy blasts, but he was able to avoid all her attacks with minimal effort. Ryoko was getting frustrated. 

"Why aren't you fighting back?? Come on, you coward!!" the intruder sneered at her in a condescending manner.

"Feh. As if I need to fight a slow girl like you. This is barely a workout!" he taunted. Ryoko responded with an obscenity that made him blush, and increased tempo to her attacks. 

__

This is way too familiar, Ranma thought wearily. _If this gets any more familiar, any minute now, she's gonna pull a mallet on me. _He resumed studying her attacks, wondering if he was going to be able to put her down without hitting her. _Not stinkin' likely._ _She's pretty fast, _He observed, _But not too controlled. Or skilled, really. There's a distinct pattern here…_ He watched for another moment, as he continued to avoid the relentless barrage of attacks. _Hmm. I think she knows about all the openings she's leaving. She must be about as strong as she is fast, otherwise, she'd make more of an effort to tighten her style. She must not be taking me very seriously. _He grinned suddenly. _Well, I'll fix that. _Abruptly, in the middle of one of the girl's blindingly fast rushes, He made no move to dodge. Instead, he jumped at her, and shouted his favorite attack name.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!!" Matching actions to words, his hands blurred as he unleashed a barrage of half strength punches. His face burned at the necessity of attacking this girl, but she really wasn't giving him a choice. 

Ryoko shook off the assault with little effort. It didn't hurt her much, but…_Kami, he's fast. How can a native of this backwater planet be that fast? _She thought, amazed. _But still…_

"Hah!" she crowed. "That was nothing! Sasami hits harder than that!" she sneered. The black haired boy smirked slightly. 

"So do I," he said smugly. "But you're just a girl, so I can't go all out…" he began, but Ryoko's yell interrupted him. 

"Bakayarou!!!" she snarled, her wounded pride pushing her faster than ever before. She left the ground and flew toward him, as he was distracted for a moment by the physical impossibility of the flying girl, Ryoko rocked him with a haymaker that could have leveled a building. He opponent went limp in mid-air, and grunted as he impacted with a tree behind him. Ryoko floated in place, laughing her ass off. Her laughter trailed off as the boy shook off the devastating impact and a trifle unsteadily, got to his feet, wiping a thin trickle of blood from his lip. 

"Not bad," he admitted. Ryoko looked outraged, but a little impressed. 

"Okay," she admitted, "You can still stand, So I'm impressed. But… Not BAD?" she looked offended. "its way better than that, pal," Ranma wanted to argue, but, contrary to his nature, he decided to concede the point. 

"OK," he nodded grudgingly. "You're pretty good. But I've been hit harder that before," 

"Oh yeah?" Ryoko growled. She rushed him again. 

Instead of dodging or giving ground, Ranma planted his feet. As the blue haired woman rapidly closed, Ranma grimaced. _Well, I guess I ain't got no choice, _he thought wearily. _Sorry, Pop. I know ya don't like me using these, but…_

"Fierce Tiger Opening Gates Blow!!!" He roared, swiftly forcing Ryoko's attacking arms apart and employing his father's Yamasenken attack. Startled beyond belief, Ryoko flew backwards and impacted with a tree in much the same manner as he had moments earlier. Ryoko stood, slowly, grinning a little. 

"You're pretty good for a human," she told him, grinning nastily. Ranma matched her ugly grin. 

"And you ain't bad, for a girl," he sneered. Ryoko smiled craftily, and assumed a fighting stance. Ranma did the same, and prepared to fight, but just as he got ready to attack, Ryoko vanished right in front of him. Startled, he looked around, his opponent nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Ranma sensed a strong energy surge.....from above. When he looked up, startled by the unexpected direction the attack was coming from, it was too late for him to take action as a ball of light quickly fell straight down towards him. Thinking quickly, He threw his arms into a blocking gesture, summoned his ki, and let the energy come to him. Moments later, it was over, and his clothes were slightly singed. He just stood there, motionless. Ryoko tapped him on the forehead, and he slumped to the ground, still motionless. 

"Hah. Never underestimate a Space Pirate." slurred Ryoko, weaving to the path. Suddenly, an unsteady voice rang out behind her. 

"Big deal! I can do that too! By the way, Turning your back on someone you haven't beaten ain't very smart, lady!" Ranma snarled. Ryoko turned, and Ranma was standing again, looking battered and very put out. He placed his hands sideways to his chest, gathering a sphere of ki between his hands. It began to grow steadily. "I won't be beaten!" Ranma yelled. "I'm Ranma Saotome, Master of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, an' I don't LOSE!!!". He then threw the energy sphere as he shouted his customary battle cry, "Moko Takabisha!!!!". 

Ryoko was so surprised that human, although obviously skilled, could launch an energy attack, that she made no move to avoid it. The ki attack collided with Ryoko, blasting her back into the trees. Getting up, she closed her eyes and vanished, reappearing in front of Ranma. Before Ranma could react, he was hit by a ridiculously powerful uppercut, sending him sailing into the air. Ryoko quickly flew after Ranma and prepared for her next attack. As she approached, Ranma twisted in midair, and launched another attack. However, while not as skilled as Ranma, Ryoko proved to be no slouch at mid-air combat, and the two traded blows as gravity returned them to earth. 

###

Tenchi and Washu led the way, dashing down the path as the others followed in their wake. As they ran, they came to an area that looked as though it had recently seen a fight. Tenchi looked around wildly for a moment, taking note of the trampled grass and broken tree branches, as Washu grimaced. With a growl of irritation, the pint-sized genius summoned her subspace computer. As the rest of the group arrived, Tenchi turned to the diminutive scientist. 

"Washu-chan? Can you find them?" Looking at the little red-head, he noted that her face was at once ashen and relieved, and she was looking up. Wordlessly, the number-one genius scientist in the universe pointed, nearly straight up. Ryoko and a boy about his age were falling toward the trees, exchanging punches and kicks as they fell. Tenchi sweatdropped as Washu began to estimate the trajectory of their fall.

"This way. Hurry!" Washu said tersely, and started swiftly after the two combatants. It was a measure of how alarmed the galactic genius was that she made no wisecracks or sly comments as she usually did. Tenchi shook his head once and followed.

They came to a clearing in the forest, just in time to see the boy jump away from Ryoko, and assume a combat stance. Ryoko did the same and the two stared at one another. Tenchi was about to intervene, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to see Ayeka, Mihoshi and Sasami standing with his father and grandfather, whose hand he'd felt. He blinked, and his grandfather shook his head. 

"No, Tenchi," Yosho said sternly. "Only interrupt if one of them is in mortal danger," He instructed, the said, "You, too, Washu," The little scientist acquiesced silently, nodding and relaxing as she saw that Ryoko was in no serious danger. Tenchi looked at his grandfather for a moment. Yosho was gazing a Ryoko's opponent with an appraising eye. There was something he was missing about all this… He shook his head and settled back in the trees, watching the battle. 

###

Ranma grimaced as he took stock of his options. He was pretty battered, but strangely, he was having the time of his life. His fights in Nerima had ceased being enjoyable quite some time ago, but this, this was great. Not that the girl seemed to think so, though. Not for the first time, he wondered why they were fighting. The blue haired girl had seemed very angry at first, but now seemed to be fighting for her wounded pride. He decided to try and end it peacefully. 

"Give it up, Lady," he called. "I gotcha beat," His brain caught up to his mouth a moment later. _THIS IS PEACEFULLY?!! _It screamed in chagrin. The girl, if possible, seemed even more offended than before. 

"Ha!" She taunted. "That's my line! You look like you can barely stand up! You take one more hit, and you're toast!" Ranma smirked. 

"I ain't gonna take another hit. You will though, if ya keep attackin' me," he told her confidently. She laughed. 

"You're bluffing."

"Try me," Ranma smiled. He hated to do this, but she was pretty damn tough, almost as tough as Ryoga. And, while he didn't have a problem fighting girls anymore, he was unwilling to batter her with repeated Amaguriken attacks like he usually did with Ryoga. That left a single option. The blue-haired girl grinned nastily, and Ranma could sense the ki within her, while different than his, was slightly warm. 

"All right then," she growled, "I will!" She rushed him, and he dodged. He began moving faster than ever before, and not a single one of Ryoko's attacks came near him. She got more and more upset, and her ki grew hotter. When Ranma judged her ki to be the right temperature, he began to dodge in a familiar, (To him) spiral pattern. As he was reaching the center, he spoke to her, grinning, but still maintaining his 'Soul of Ice'. 

"Last chance," he commented teasingly. "Stop now and ya won't get hurt," She snarled back at him and he wanted to laugh. This was the first fight he'd been able to have fun in for quite a while. He was a bit irked that he had to unleash one of his more powerful attacks, but this girl was a hell of a fighter. 

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he commented. Almost at the center, he raised his voice and called, "HIRYU…" 

###

Washu was analyzing the fight on her computer, when The energy readings shot off the scale. She looked up as the wind suddenly began to increase dramatically. 

"Unbelievable!!!" she cried in amazement. 

###

Ryoko hadn't noticed the winds yet. Ranma was impressed. She had really good focus, but that wouldn't be enough to stop what he was about to do. "…SHOUTEN…"

Sasami looked at Washu in alarm. Washu had never, to her knowledge, sounded that perplexed. That could only mean Ryoko was in trouble. Despite Yosho's admonition, she darted forward to try and help her friend, oblivious to her sister's startled exclamation. 

###

Ranma smiled. It had been a great fight, but he was going to win. He prepared to administer the final touch, careful to regulate his aura so the attack didn't injure his opponent, just knock her out. 

"…HA!!!!!!" he cried, connecting with Ryoko's ki with a powerful uppercut. The wind, while merely gusts before, erupted into a full blown hurricane. 

Ayeka saw Sasami rush into the clearing at the same moment as the hurricane roared to life. Horrified, the First Princess of the planet Jurai could only watch as raging windstorm swept her baby sister into it's powerful embrace. 

"SASAMI!!!!!!!!!"

###

Ranma was about to keel over from the effort of generating the Hiryu Shouten Ha, when he heard the terrified scream. He glanced in the direction of the voice, seeing that his fight had attracted an audience. He turned his head just in time to see a little girl, no more than twelve, flung into the air by his attack. All she had time for was a terrified squeal before she was flung to the heavens. The blood drained from Ranma's face, his fatigue forgotten. He charged toward the force of nature of his creation, and jumped into the hurricane to save her, all the while, his brain screaming at him, _Myfaultmyfaultmyfault…_

Tenchi was shocked. Sasami was in trouble, and he hadn't the slightest clue how to save her. Despite that, he was about to try, when his grandfather again placed his hand on Tenchi's shoulder. Tenchi whirled on the older man in anger. 

"We've got to help her!" 

"It's already being taken care of, Tenchi. Look," Said Yosho, gesturing to the clearing. The boy who had just created the hurricane was running toward it, panic written on his face. Tenchi gaped in amazement as Ryoko's opponent leaped into the raging windstorm. He looked around dazedly. His gaze fell on Washu, who was looking at her spectral computer with a stunned expression. 

"Little Washu?" he called, "What's the matter?" he asked, not really sure he wanted to know. Washu looked fascinated and dismayed all at the same time. Her mouth worked for a moment, nothing emerging.

"Look," she finally managed to say, beckoning to him. He walked to her and looked at the computer screen. He was startled to see a writhing, ethereal dragon pictured. 

"What is it?"

"This… is a 1/32 scale depiction of the windstorm," she murmured, sounding faintly annoyed. "How did he DO this??" Tenchi blinked. 

"A-A Dragon?" He uttered, astonished. Washu nodded. 

"Yep," she said cheerfully, regaining her ordinary, if slightly demented demeanor. "He shaped it somehow, to look like this. I detected an energy surge coming from him as he used it on Ryoko, but I've never seen this kind of energy before, It's unbelievable! Someone's just joined you as one of my number one favorite guinea pigs, Tenchi!" Even for a Juraian prince with intergalactic powers, this much information was proving to be a bit of an overload. Tenchi sat down heavily. Suddenly, another thought occurred to him. 

"Is Ryoko ok?" he asked worriedly. Washu snickered. 

"Well, she'll probably have the mother of all hangovers when she wakes up, but other than that, the attack doesn't seem to be designed to kill an opponent, just defeat them," she said thoughtfully. Then her voice took on a gleeful air. "But she'll never live this one down, Heheheheh!" Tenchi shook his head as Washu laughed. Why didn't he know anyone normal?

Ranma ricocheted off debris picked up by the storm, propelling himself toward the little girl like a crazed pinball, berating himself silently the entire way. _I can't believe I was so stupid! I got so caught up in the fight that I endangered someone else. Baka baka baka!!!_ Approaching his goal, he manipulated his ki to use the winds of the Hiryu Shouten Ha to carry him to the little girl. Drifting toward her, He gently grasped her around the waist. She flinched a little, and turned to look at him, her large pink eyes wide with terror. 

"Easy," Ranma told her gently, managing to be heard above the roaring of the wind. "This ain't no place for a little girl. How 'bout we get you down from here, 'Kay?" Sasami nodded her head her chin trembling a little, as he pulled her close, supporting her back. "Just hold on, and the storm'll stop. Then I can get ya down from here, and…" He trailed off as the little blue haired girl tugged at his sleeve. 

"I'm sorry," she said as he looked down at her, "But what'll happen to Ryoko-oneechan when the storm stops?" Ranma was stunned. Was this his opponent's sister? 

"Well," he began slowly, "She'll fall to the ground too. She's pretty tough, I don't think the fall would hurt her," he ventured. 

"That's right," she told him, looking relieved. "She's really strong. I just wanted to make sure your storm wouldn't take her away again. Tenchi-oniichan wouldn't like that," Ranma let his breath out carefully. Apparently he had lucked onto the right answer. He blinked to himself. _So this Ryoko gets kidnapped a lot, huh?_ He thought. Apparently this Ryoko and Akane had more than their tempers in common. Abruptly, the wind ceased. Sasami let out a terrified scream as her rescuer began to plummet to the ground, with her along for the ride. Ranma looked around quickly. There were no bodies of water to try to land in, like the last time he'd tried this, so he sought valiantly to improvise. As they approached the canopy of trees in the forest, he had an idea. He twisted in mid-air, angling his feet down toward the trees. _Now, with just a little bit o' luck, I can pull this off, _He thought to himself, grinning. Fortunately, what his father called the 'Saotome Luck' seemed to be with him today. After falling through the leaves, he could feel his feet make contact with a particularly springy branch, and, using the branch as a starting point, he shot sideways, tightening his grip on Sasami as he flipped, mid air, to impact, feet first, on another tree. Propelling himself likewise, he used the densely populated forest to his advantage. Bouncing like a demented Ping-Pong ball from tree to tree, he robbed himself and his pint-sized passenger of enough momentum that they were able to land, neatly and safely, with a dramatic flip, in the clearing where Ranma had originally launched the 'Hiryu Shouten Ha'. To Ranma's surprise, the clearing was already filled with people, most about his age, with a pair of older men, as well. As he landed, he stumbled a bit, reminding himself that he'd had a guest on his little trip. He set Sasami down carefully. 

"G-Gomen," he told her tiredly. "I didn't mean for ya ta get swept into my attack like that," Sasami smiled brightly back at him, and, despite his gloomy mood over the past few weeks, he couldn't help but smile back. 

"That's ok," she told him. "You saved me, and it was a lot of fun riding down. Arigato." Ranma grinned, his eyes drooping. 

"Hey, no sweat. I just…" At that moment, the others in the clearing chose that moment to interrupt. Sasami was barraged by inquiries after her well being for a moment, then their collective gaze turned to Ranma. He yawned hugely, and said, 

"Ah…Hi. I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this…" And with that, his overtaxed system gave out, and he collapsed. 

***********************

Next Time: Ranma is formally introduced to the other residents of the Masaki home as Nodoka attempts to resolve the Tendo/Saotome marriage dispute. What will they think of Nerima's trouble magnet, and why is Washu looking at him like that? Please look forward to it!

**********************

AN: 03/28/01-Ah… another updated chapter. Once again, thanks to Thermopyle, who refrained from killing me as he re-read this a whole lot to help me iron out my mistakes. And yes, Chapter four is on the way, and I'm writing at a decent clip this time. My target is the first week or two of April, but we'll have to see. Thanks for reading!!!

C&C amiguriken@hotmail.com 


	3. No Need for a New Start___Ch.2-No Need f...

****

No Need for Further Complications

In the depths of the lab of the greatest scientific genius in the universe, there was never a stop to the activity. At any given moment, some piece of exotic or esoteric machinery was whirring, humming, beeping or making some other such noise that is a given with properly functioning equipment, unlike the more peaceful and quiet nature of the upper levels. However, the lab's mistress was completely oblivious to the background noise. In point of fact, she was oblivious to most of what was going on at the moment, save for the status of her two patients, her erstwhile daughter, Ryoko, and Yosho's recently revealed grandson, one Ranma Saotome. Washu looked at the prone form on the lab table, and felt an inward chill once again. _Every time I look, _she thought, _I can't believe my eyes. How is this possible? _She put a hand to her chest and sighed. Feeling something amiss, she looked down, and noted she was much more…developed than she had been earlier in the day. 

_Huh? When did I shift to my adult age? _It was a measure of exactly how flustered the being with the highest IQ on the planet was that it took her a moment to remember that she had been asked by Tenchi to be an adult when his cousin woke up. He had said something about humans not generally receiving medical care from twelve year olds, but to be thoroughly honest, she hadn't been listening. She had been overcome by a wave of memories that had been triggered by her first close look at the new addition to their happy home. _Kami-sama, _Washu thought dazedly, _All that missing is the hair. He looks so much like…_ The thought was left incomplete, interrupted by the stirring of her new patient. She shook off her reverie, glad to be doing something. She moved to the bedside as Ranma's eyes cracked open and he groaned softly, and tried to summon her customary mad scientist air, but she just couldn't. Not right now. Smiling gently instead, she leaned toward him. 

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly. He didn't answer, and Washu frowned. She spared a glance at a monitor by Ranma's head, and noted his brainwaves were still erratic. He needed a few more hours rest, she judged, and began the prepare a sub-epidermal sedative. Ranma groaned again, taking her attention away from her task for a moment, and his eyes focused on her, with what seemed to be a great force of will. 

"Kawaii…," he breathed drunkenly, and lapsed once again into unconsciousness, leaving Washu speechless, her face nearly the same color red as her hair. 

_Oh…oh boy…_

It could not be said that Genma Saotome was easily intimidated. Not because he was brave, oh no. Not much made him nervous, because he prided himself on always having an out, an escape plan. Not necessarily a moral or particularly intelligent escape plan, but he'd never had to face negative consequences that he hadn't chose to. Which really wasn't very often. So he wasn't afraid of much. In fact, there were precisely three things on the planet that made him nervous. Scratch that, TERRIFIED. 

Two of them were sitting in front of him right now. 

Trying desperately not to act like a cornered animal, Genma addressed his wife and her katana. 

"Why have you called this meeting, No-chan? Where is Nabiki and our son?" he asked Nodoka as calmly as he could. Ranma and Nabiki had been missing for five days, and then Nodoka formally asked for a meeting with the head of the Tendo clan. He had thought at first it was mere coincidence, but upon further reflection, he dismissed the idea. Something was up, and all the signs pointed to his wife. Ignoring her husband's question, Nodoka simply shot him a look that could freeze flame in an instant. He tried not to wince, failing miserably, and fell silent. There was no talking to her when she was like this. He just had to ride it out and hope that he emerged with his head still attached to his shoulders. He shook his head slightly, as he spied Soun Tendo, seated beside him, open his mouth to speak. Soun, while being less bold than his friend, was certainly a good deal smarter. Which still wasn't saying much. Nonetheless, he too was silent, as the two men sat across from Nodoka in the Tendo family dining room, trying hard to look anywhere but at the blazing eyes of the woman across the table. After what seemed like an eternity, The silence was interrupted by a loud slam of the front door. 

"I'm home!" came the slightly exasperated voice of the youngest Tendo. Tearing her furious gaze from the two men in front of her, Nodoka called out to her. 

"Could you join us in the dining room, Akane-chan?" After a moment, Akane answered. 

"Hai," After a moment, the somewhat subdued countenance of Akane Tendo came into view. Glancing curiously at her father and Genma, she joined the two men at the table. Nodoka nodded decisively. 

"Now we can begin. Kasumi-chan? Come in now, please," from around the corner, the eldest daughter of Tendo family stepped into the room, gently assisting her sister, Nabiki. On seeing Nabiki, Akane let out a strangled gasp. The middle Tendo sister was a mess. Her normally immaculate short brown hair was disheveled and dirty, marred by a clean white bandage wrapped around her head. Her face was a mass of bruises, and her shirt was torn just below her breasts, revealing another stark white bandage protecting her abused ribcage. Completing the picture was a third bandage on her thigh that a close inspection would reveal faint rust-colored stains beginning to seep through. Kasumi helped her sister, who was hampered by a pronounced limp, to the foot of the table, whereupon Nabiki gingerly sat down. Wincing slightly, she looked up and gave her older sister a grateful smile. 

"Thanks, sis," she said weakly. Kasumi smiled warmly back and nodded. The smile faded abruptly as her gaze fell upon the two men across from Nodoka. Even Genma shivered as his internal list of things he was afraid of grew to four. Kasumi went around the table and seated herself at its head. As she did, Akane finally swung her horrified gaze around to the woman who had called the meeting. 

"Auntie, what, who…," she gibbered, until a strange light came into her eyes. "Ranma!" she breathed, looking around, and noting the absence of the pig-tailed martial artist. Jumping to her usual conclusion, she roared. "That…That PERVERT!!! That's why he isn't here, isn't it?! He's finally gone too far!!!!" Inspired by his youngest daughter's sudden burst of fury, Soun Tendo leapt up from his seated position, and unleashed the full fury of his Demon's Head attack at Nodoka. 

"What has Ranma done to MY LITTLE GIRL??!!" He became so lost in his sudden fury at the perceived wrong that he didn't notice Nodoka reach for her katana. Without even batting an eye at the frightening display, in one smooth motion, Nodoka drew her katana, sliced off the striking tongue of Soun's attack with a single stroke. The large head looked at the severed appendage with an almost comical expression of cross-eyed dismay, and vanished with a loud 'pop'. 

"Please be silent, Tendo-san," Nodoka said mildly as she replaced the sword in it's sheath. Soun gazed at her in wide-eyed astonishment, and no small amount of fear. "Now, Ranma…," she began, when she was interrupted again by Akane. 

"Where is he?!" she growled. "I'll kill him!" Kasumi opened her mouth to respond to that, but was stopped by a gesture from Nabiki. 

"Hold it, Sis," Nabiki told her older sister. "I'll field this one," Kasumi nodded and remained silent. The kitchen was still for a moment when the silence was broken by the resounding crack of flesh meeting flesh. 

Akane held her hand to her already reddening cheek, staring at her injured sister in shocked amazement as Nabiki let her arm drop. 

"Grow up, Little sister," Nabiki snarled, though the effect was somewhat muted by her haggard appearance. "Not everything is Ranma's fault. If you're looking to blame someone for what happened to me, you can start with yourself!" Akane protested at that. 

"How could I have done…" she began, but Nabiki cut her off with a slashing gesture. 

"No. You didn't attack me, but If you hadn't been making life so hard for poor Ranma, he wouldn't have needed me to help him disappear so often. Do you remember the last five conversations you've had with Ranma?" 

"Of course!" Akane cried indignantly. Nabiki nodded. 

"Fine. Now how many of them didn't end with you pulling your damned mallet on him?" she asked reasonably. Akane looked uncomfortable. 

"Um…None, But…"

"Exactly!…" Nabiki retorted. She was about to continue when Soun interjected, 

"Nabiki, perhaps…" 

"Quiet, Daddy," Nabiki snapped. Soun looked startled, but did as he was told. Without missing a beat, she continued relentlessly. "Now, I'll admit Ranma does say the wrong thing sometimes, but how many times out of the last five did he deserve what you did to him?"

"Um…" Akane's flustered hedging seemed to further infuriate the middle Tendo girl. 

"I'll TELL you! None! The first time, he said 'hey! These cookies are pretty good!', and asked if you made them. Without warning, the entire neighborhood was treated to a long, ranting speech about how you aren't a bad cook, and how Ranma is such a JERK!" Nabiki's voice rose dramatically in pitch on the last word, a credible imitation of Akane's usual screech. 

"I didn't make them," Akane whispered. "Kasumi did," 

"And that makes it alright?" Nabiki asked incredulously. "Kami-sama! He was looking for a reason to compliment you! Lord knows you make it difficult sometimes! And how about how he happened to mention how those coats in the department store would look good on Ukyo? A loud screaming fit about how he should go marry his CUTE fiancée, and you belted him through the skylight of the mall! Do I need to go on? Is it any wonder he needed to get away so often?" Akane hung her head, staring at the table, and shook it slightly. Nodoka watched with appalled dismay. Ranma had told her how bad the situation had become, and yet it appeared he had been understating the case. If what Nabiki was saying was accurate, Ranma had glossed over the worst of the troubles with his reluctant fiancée. She knew Ranma had had strong feelings for the girl in front of her at one time, and in fact, still cared for her, but there appeared to be too much bad blood between the two of them to be able to expect a happy marriage to come from it. She cleared her throat quietly, interrupting the argument. 

"As I was saying," she began pointedly, glancing at the sisters and idly noting the embarrassed flush on both their cheeks, "Ranma is what I've come here to discuss. It would seem, that save for Nabiki-chan, no one has looked out for the welfare of my son during the two years he has resided in this home," At this, Nabiki shook her head, the anger in her eyes dissolving into a uneasy guilt. 

"No," she said quietly. Nodoka blinked. 

"Pardon me?" 

"You're giving me too much credit, Auntie. I've taken advantage of Ranma since day one. I helped him out some, but I've done far more harm than good," she said miserably. Genma and Soun stared at the conversation happening all around them in mystified fascination. It was obvious that something _Very Big_ was happening, but since they possessed the combined sensitivity of lint ball, they could not, for the life of them, grasp what it was. Nodoka smiled warmly at Nabiki. 

"I presume you're referring to your business activities that centered around my son?" she asked kindly. Nabiki nodded morosely. "Ranma knows, Nabiki, and he doesn't mind. After all, when a father," she paused a moment to glare across the table at Soun, eliciting a slight whimper. "leaves the task of providing for the family financially up to his daughters, the blame can hardly be lain at the feet of a young girl who has done an adult's task so well," Nabiki looked up at Nodoka, with a kind of dawning wonder in her eyes. 

"He-he knows?" she asked hesitantly. "And he doesn't hate me?" Nodoka's smile only grew wider. 

"Hai," she said simply. "And he asked me to tell you, as I saw him off last night, that he's grateful you were on his side this past year. He talked quite a bit about how you risked yourself to help him. You were a good friend to him, Nabiki-chan," Nodoka looked at the girl, warmly amused at the open gratitude on her face. The calculating, cold-hearted girl had changed quite a bit in the time she had begun visiting the Tendo home. 

"Thank you," Nabiki whispered. Kasumi smiled at the two from her seat at the head of the table. _I'm glad that Nabiki-chan can sleep without guilt from now on, _she thought to herself. _I hope I can manage a family half as well as Auntie Saotome when the time comes. _With that thought, her smile turned slightly wistful as she continued to observe the proceedings. _Oh, Tofu-chan… _She thought wistfully as the moment between Ranma's mother and Nabiki was broken. Nodoka nodded gently to Nabiki, and turned back to the two fathers. 

"Now, I am here on my son's behalf to negotiate a satisfactory dissolution to the marriage agreement between the Tendo and Saotome families," she said firmly. The two men, silent until now, could not have reacted more strongly if the slight woman had tossed a live grenade onto the table. 

"Now see here…!" Soun began as Genma also looked ready to object. Nodoka silenced the two of them with a gesture. 

"Now, as it has become obvious…" Nodoka trailed off as a white faced Akane stood up. She stared at the table for a few moments as a single tear tracked down her cheek. Without a word, she left the room. Kasumi stood up as Nodoka watched the youngest Tendo leave. 

"I'll go talk to her, Auntie," said Kasumi calmly, and followed her little sister from the room. Nodoka nodded. Once Genma and Soun's gaze returned to her, she picked up right where she left off, though more softly, in deference to the feelings of the crushed girl who had just left. 

"It has become obvious, that due to your bungling interference and indifference to their feelings, little opportunity remains to salvage a relationship between Ranma and Akane," she paused for a moment, glaring at the two of them, as if daring them to disagree. When no such disagreement was forthcoming, she continued. "Therefore for the sake of my son's happiness, and the honor of the Saotome clan, I have come to resolve the situation," After a moment's thought, Soun whispered to Genma,

"Can she do that?" Genma sighed heavily. 

"Unfortunately Tendo, yes, she can. She's been the Saotome clan head ever since I took Ranma away to train," he told his friend. Soun looked worried. 

"Saotome, This cannot stand. Our clans MUST be united. Otherwise…," Soun left the thought unfinished, as though it went without saying. Genma nodded gravely. They turned back to Nodoka, wide smiles plastered onto both their faces. 

Nodoka Saotome sweatdropped. 

Later…

Nodoka and Nabiki sat together on one side of the table, facing Genma and Soun on the other. Nabiki slammed her fist onto the table, wincing slightly at the pain the shock produced. 

"Why won't you give up on this? Ranma and Akane are never getting married!" she asked, exasperated. 

"Unacceptable," Soun said flatly. "The agreement is a matter of honor. It must be maintained," Nabiki stifled an ever increasing urge to point out that they were in no position to lecture anyone about honor. Beside her, Nodoka's eyes narrowed. 

"You leave me no choice then," she grated. "I had hoped to salvage my clan's honor, but I will not put it above my son's happiness. The agreement is broken," she said flatly. Nabiki watched their reactions carefully. Genma gasped, horrified, and her father…his eyes darted right and left, then…

"Wait!" he called desperately as Nodoka made to leave. Nabiki frowned. _He's desperate._ She thought._ Why?_ Oblivious to his daughter's intense scrutiny, Soun bigsweated as Nodoka turned back to the two men. 

"Perhaps…a compromise can be reached?" he offered. Nodoka's gaze was unreadable. 

"Very well. I will listen," she said, neutrally. 

Later still…

"You want me to what??!!" 

"Nabiki-chan, please! For your family's honor, I implore you!" 

"You're nuts, Daddy! After what we put Ranma through he'd be crazy to want anything to do with us, much less me!" Nabiki glanced at Nodoka for help, but the exhausted woman merely shrugged. They had been arguing with her father and Mr. Saotome for the better part of the day, and when she'd got up once to go to the bathroom, a ridiculously difficult and lengthy task when one was hampered by injuries, and she'd returned to this. Apparently, they had conceded that there seemed little hope of Ranma and Akane getting married, so, with typical irrational logic, they had decided that she would accept Akane's place in the arrangement. Nodoka looked weary and confused. She didn't understand the doggedness with which the two men pursued the matter either. She sighed and gave Nabiki a look that seemed to say, 'your call'. Nabiki opened her mouth, getting ready to argue, but decided it wouldn't do any good. If there was one thing she knew, it was when to cut her losses. But that didn't mean she couldn't build an escape plan into the agreement. For Ranma's sake, if nothing else. Sighing deeply, she turned to the two men. 

"Fine. On one condition," she said sharply. Her father looked exultant. 

"Anything! Name your price!" Nabiki winced at the reminder of how most of the world viewed her. 

"That this is all dependent on Ranma. If he decides that it's over, you can't force us together, and the contract is dissolved," she said tightly. Her father looked dubious, but Genma agreed instantly. 

"Done!" shouted the rotund martial artist. "On one further condition. You and Ranma must both give it a fair chance. After one year together, if you so choose, Ranma may end the agreement," Nabiki sighed. She had sunk all of her savings into repairing the dojo, so due to her lack of finances, she would be ronin for a year anyway, so she couldn't disagree. She glanced over at Nodoka who merely said, 

"It seems to be the best we can do," she murmured. "Are you sure, Nabiki?" Nabiki shrugged. 

"I guess so…" she said absently. _Sorry, Ranma-kun, but this does give you an out. I can't really say no, not after all I've done to you…_Nodoka nodded.

"Very well. Done," she told the two celebrating men. Nabiki wondered what she was getting into, and yawned deeply as Nodoka sealed the new agreement with the two men. Both Nodoka and Nabiki were thinking the same thing at that moment, namely…

__

How am I going to break this to Ranma?

Ryoko opened her eyes a crack and immediately winced at the stabbing pain the illumination produced. She heard a rustling to the side, and Washu came into view. Staring at the woman who claimed to be her mother with her amber eyes narrowed, Ryoko noted with mild surprise that Washu was currently 'adult'. _She hates looking like that, _Ryoko mused to herself. _I wonder what the occasion is? _Washu looked down and noted Ryoko was awake, and an impish grin lit her features. 

"How's my little Ryoko feeling?" she cooed, pinching Ryoko's cheek, jut a tad too hard. The stabbing pain mutated into a full blown headache. 

"Dammit, Washu, cut it out!" she snarled, beginning to sit up. Halfway through, she thought better of it as the room began to spin wildly. She lay back down, covering her mouth with one hand. "Urk," she managed, and closed her eyes for a moment. As the spinning sensation and accompanying nausea began to recede, She opened her eyes again, mentally warning her surroundings to behave themselves. "Did anyone get the number of the Galaxy Police cruiser that hit me?" she asked weakly. Washu blinked. 

"Eh?" 

"Why else would I ache so much?" Ryoko went on sourly. "It certainly feels like some one hit me with a spaceship. Maybe a few of 'em," she amended, feeling a particularly tender spot on her leg. Washu looked at her sharply, interested. 

"Tell me, Ryoko, what do you remember?" she asked intently. Ryoko looked surprised. She closed her eyes in thought, running a hand through her spiky cyan hair. 

"It's pretty fuzzy, actually," she admitted. "I drank way, way more of the sake bottle than I meant to…" 

"All of it, in fact," Washu put in, smirking. Ryoko blinked. 

"I did? Hmm. Anyway, I remember swearing at the bottle 'cause I was hoping to trick Tenchi into drinking some…" Washu cackled at that, and Ryoko smirked a little, but grimaced as the headache reasserted itself. And then, I remember…a fight?" she frowned. Washu nodded. 

"Yep. You scared the daylights out of Ryo-Ohki when she felt it through your link," The red-haired scientist commented, chuckling. Ryoko frowned. She remember that she didn't recognize her opponent, and if she'd fought a human drunk… 

"I didn't kill anybody, did I?" Washu looked Ryoko sideways for a moment, then burst into full blown laughter. Ryoko sat up, (slowly this time), and glared at her. 

"What?" she snapped. When Washu's giggling fit died out, she grinned at Ryoko, shaking her head. Ryoko was slightly disconcerted. Dealing with Washu ordinarily was no problem, as her less intimidating child form allowed Ryoko at least the illusion that she was in nominal control of her dealings with the genius scientist. But the easy confidence of the fully adult Washu even in the face of Ryoko's most intimidating stares, (And they WERE intimidating. Ask anyone on Jurai) left her off balance. 

"To think that a child of mine could have such an ego," Washu stated, smiling as she spoke. Ryoko growled. 

"What's so surprising about that, Miss Greatest Genius Scientist in the Universe? If you are my mother, I come by it honestly," she muttered sourly. Washu's teasing smile grew even wider. 

"That's just the facts, Ryoko-chan, just the facts," she said merrily, tossing her long mane of bright red hair. "In any case, you're right, there was a fight. You lost," Ryoko blinked, stunned at the unexpected news. 

"I-I lost?" she asked incredulously. Washu nodded. 

"To him," she said, offhandedly, pointing to another prone form on a bed a little further down. Ryoko looked, and on the bed was a boy, about eighteen with a shock of unruly black hair tied back in a pigtail, sleeping soundly. 

"Who is he?" she asked, carefully getting off the bed and walking over to the boy. She heard an oddly careful tone in her 'mother's' voice as Washu replied, 

"His name's Ranma Saotome, and apparently, he's also Yosho's grandson," Ryoko surprised at that bit of news, looked over at Washu, who was also examining the boy. Ryoko noted an odd look in her emerald eyes, one she'd never seen Washu use before when she looked at him. She reached out mentally for the link she and Washu shared to find Washu's mental shields solidly blocking her every probe.

"So… If he's part Juraian, He must have beat me with Light Hawk wings or something, right?" Washu grinned. 

"Nope. Just plain old human fighting skills…plus an extremely strange attack. He created a hurricane, using only a bio-electric energy field if some sort, and caught you up in it," Ryoko pondered that. That would explain the way she felt right now, that's for sure. The thoughts of the two women were interrupted by a soft rapping sound. 

Washu turned and saw Yosho standing in the doorway. 

"Come in," she invited cheerily. "He should be waking up any minute," Ryoko stepped back as Yosho quietly entered the room and stood by the table. Washu glanced at the monitors and counted under her breath. "Three, two one, Now!" she whispered. At that exact moment, the monitors began to beep and Ranma groaned, then sat bolt upright. 

"KAWAIIKUNE!!!" he shouted, startling the three people standing at his bedside. Slowly, he seemed to focus on his surroundings. "Wha-? Where am I?" he said dazedly. Yosho smiled. 

"You're in our home, Ranma," he answered gently. Ranma blinked. 

"Who're you?" he asked curiously. Yosho inclined his head. 

"I am your grandfather, Katsuhito Masaki," he said. "And this is Washu Habuki, a guest here. She's been looking after you while you were unconscious," this last was said, gesturing at the red-haired woman beside him. Ranma looked at her, and was stunned. The girl his grandfather was pointing to seemed to be about Kasumi's age, and was, frankly, stunning. She had the greenest eyes he had ever seen….He realized he was staring when her cheeks reddened. He tore his gaze away, scratching the base of his pigtail chuckling sheepishly, as Yosho and Ryoko both noted Washu's odd reaction. _When did she get shy? _Ryoko wondered. 

"Heh. I guess that explains the shrine outfit, ne? Pleased ta meet'cha both. Sorry I'm late. I couldn't find the place, and on the trail, this crazy chick jumped me…" Ranma said, uncomfortably.

"Hey!" Ryoko protested. Ranma stiffened as he caught sight of the cyan haired girl, standing slightly behind Yosho and Washu. 

"Ah…You ain't gonna try an' kill me no more?" Ryoko fumed for a moment, then opened her mouth to berate the newcomer, when Yosho spoke first. 

"He will be living in the house Ryoko, so perhaps you two should start over," The priest commented mildly. Ranma watched the interplay between the old man and the girl with interest. _Well, if there's one thing I learned from dealin' with Akane, It's that it never hurts to apologize. Even if it ain't my fault, I really don't wanna get off on the wrong foot here, if I can help it, _he thought. He slid off the bed and faced Ryoko. 

"I-ah…Gomen," he stuttered, wincing. _Ah, man! I'm not good at this…_. Fortunately, Ryoko's anger was derailed by the unexpected apology. 

"Listen you! I- What?" she asked, confused. Ranma looked at the ground. 

"I- I'm sorry that I fought ya. I guess it was kinda rude. For what it's worth though, Y' fight pretty good…" he trailed off as realized he had been about to say, _Y'know, for a girl. _Ryoko blinked, assimilating the new experience of being apologized to. Especially for something that was, technically, her fault. She chuckled nervously.

"Ah, Thanks," she told him hesitantly. _Geez, _Ryoko chided herself, _You'd think no one had ever been nice to me before…Oh wait. No one has. Except maybe Tenchi or Sasami. _"I guess I should say sorry too. I get kind of wild when I drink too much," she explained. Ranma smiled when he saw she'd let him off the hook. 

"Hey, It's no problem. My Pop was kinda like that too. I'm big enough to defend myself now, so I don't mind," He said dismissively. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the expression of his recently met grandfather hardening. Washu was frowning as well. 

"Your father beat you?" she asked tightly. Ranma smiled wanly. 

"Not 'zactly," he explained uneasily, "He never hauled off and smacked me, like some dad's do, but when we trained while he was drunk, he hit harder and stuff. I don't think he meant to, or nothing," he continued hastily, seeing his grandfather's expression continue to darken, "It was just he couldn't pull his punches properly. Toughened me up some, though," he commented. 

"He did that…to a child? His child??!" Washu's own anger was dissipated somewhat by this heated exclamation from Yosho. She was further surprised by Ranma's next statement. 

"Trust me. I'da been a lot better off if that's all he'd done," Ranma said bitterly. Yosho blinked at that. What else could Genma possibly have done to his grandson? As it was, Yosho, normally an extremely controlled person, was contemplating various painful methods of death for him. He was about to ask when Ranma shook his head. "Never mind. I'll tell all of ya a bit later anyway. You'll probl'y need to know," he said wearily. Yosho took the hint. Forcing a smile onto his face, he was about to change the subject when Ranma's stomach made it's presence known rather loudly, evaporating much of the tension in the room. Yosho blinked and smiled slightly. 

"You've been unconscious for quite some time," he observed wryly. Ranma looked interested on hearing that. 

"Oh yeah? How long?" 

"About fourteen hours, ten minutes and thirty-two seconds" Washu answered cheerily. Ranma sweatdropped. 

"About?" he intoned, faintly sarcastically. Washu grinned. 

"I could give you the milliseconds, if you'd like," she offered. Ranma blinked, but he couldn't help grinning back. 

"Ah, that's OK," he assured her. "I guess that's why I'm so hungry," Hearing this, Ryoko spoke up tentatively. 

"I know what that's like," she chuckled. "C'mon. Sasami usually keeps leftovers in the fridge, and she's a great cook," Ranma perked up considerably at that. 

"Great! Let's go," he responded eagerly. Ryoko and Ranma left the room, talking, the foundations of a tentative friendship formed. Yosho glanced at Washu as they left, and they began to follow the two teenagers. 

"Washu, are you…?" Washu smiled faintly. 

"I should have known I couldn't hide it from you. Please…don't ask right now, OK? I'm not ready to deal with it yet," she said without looking at the man beside her. Yosho nodded. 

"Later then," he said in a tone that indicated he didn't expect to be refused. Washu shot him an irritated look, but nodded. 

"Maybe," was all she said. 

Ranma looked over the people who had gathered in what had turned out to be his uncle's living room with mild trepidation. He was well fed now, but it was time to face the people in whose home he would be staying for the foreseeable future. Despite having no indication that these were anything other than warm, friendly people, his stomach was still tied up in knots. _Ok, Saotome, you can do this, _he encouraged himself nervously. _Even though I've got a lousy track record with introductions, there must have been one that hasn't ended with someone wanting ta either kill or marry me. _He thought hard for a moment, and came up empty. _Nope, I'm gonna die. _

Yosho looked around from where he was standing beside Ranma and surveyed the room. Every one seemed to be here, but… He turned to Ayeka at her customary seat on Tenchi's left, and asked the purple haired girl,

"Ayeka, where is Sasami?" Ayeka smiled a little. 

"She thought that Lord Ranma might benefit from a little refreshment while he was being introduced. Ranma started out of his fatalistic predictions when his name was mentioned. He glanced at the regal looking girl with purple hair for a moment, briefly wondering if she had Amazon origins. 

"Um…You don't gotta call me that, Lady. Just Ranma is fine," he told her uneasily. Ayeka looked surprised for a moment, then shrugged and smiled for Ranma's benefit. 

"As you wish, Lord Ranma," she said calmly, with a small grin. He was about to correct her, when Ryoko, sitting on the other side of the young man who had introduced himself as Tenchi caught his eye. She shook her head slowly then gestured to Ayeka and pointed to her head, turning the finger in a slow circle. He blinked, and resigned himself to the Ayeka's quirk when the little blue haired girl he had rescued from his Hiryu Shouten Ha emerged from the kitchen, carrying what looked to be a very heavy tray, loaded with a pitcher of cold lemonade and glasses. As she slowly made her way into the living room, A blonde woman Ranma hadn't been introduced to yet stood up and began walking toward the cute little blue haired girl. 

"Wait Sasami-chan, let me help you with that," she said cheerfully. Sasami smiled brightly at her, looking a little strained. 

"It's ok, Mihoshi," she responded. "I'm almost- eek!" Sasami squeaked as Mihoshi's toe caught the edge of a floorboard. Ranma felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up at the blonde woman fell flat on her face behind him. His danger sense began to blare as Tenchi sat bolt upright and yelled, 

"Sasami! Look out!" With remarkable clarity, Ranma knew just what had happened. _Oh man!!!_ He thought, panicked. True to the abysmal luck of those with Jusenkyo curses, Sasami tripped over Mihoshi's outstretched arm, flinging the lemonade and glasses forward, into the room, and more significantly…toward the group of people Ranma was standing near. As the pitcher of yellow fluid arced toward him in mid-air, Ranma whipped around, seeing his own personal Murphy's law go into effect. He knew he had no time left to dodge, so he simple threw his arms up to protect his face, silently cursing his luck. 

As the lemonade struck him, triggering the by now hated change, time seemed to stretch into slow motion at he shrank several inches, his hair lightened and his chest and hips grew considerably…curvier. Time snapped back to normal speed as Ranma sighed and ran a hand through her wet hair, brushing it out of her eyes, and turned to face the shocked gaze of the entire Masaki household. The moment stretched as if everyone were afraid to shatter the surrealness of the situation. Then with agonizing slowness, a single drop of blood trickled from Tenchi's nose, as he stared at the buxom redhead who had abruptly replaced his cousin. That seemed to spur everyone into motion. Ayeka leapt up, her mini-logs deploying in a protective force field over Tenchi and herself with a blazing crackle of electricity. Ryoko too jumped up, activating her energy sword as Mihoshi cringed and moved to stand behind Yosho. The only one who didn't seem alarmed was Washu, who had been standing off to the side of the whole situation. She simply frowned and activated her subspace computer, and began working busily at it, scratching her head every once in awhile. Ryoko and Ranma stared at each other for a moment, then Ryoko broke the silence. 

"Who the hell are you, lady!" Ranma winced at being called that and sighed deeply. 

"You ain't gonna believe it, but…My name's Ranma Saotome…"

Next Time: Ranma explains the fact of his curse, and the Masakis are amazed to meet someone easily as strange as they are. Also, the villains of the piece reveal themselves, as Washu's interest in Ranma has not gone unnoticed. Please look forward to it!

AN: This is just a slight update, as I'm very nearly finished Chapter 3. I expected it to be finished a great deal earlier, but trying to explain everything adequately, without overdoing the information is extremely difficult. Also, some say Nabiki might be out of character here, but really she isn't admitting she's always loved him, she's just giving in to the pressure from her father. (Although that might change. Should it?)As to why the father's are so insistent? Believe it or not, Genma and Soun have a good reason for pushing ANY wedding between the Saotomes. But, I'll get to that later. ^_-


	4. No Need for a New Start___Ch.3-No need f...

Note: The characters in this story don't belong to me. They belong to other people, and I am perverting them for my own use. And by other people, I mean corporations with lots of money. Way more than I'll ever have. So no lawsuits, ok?

Also, big thanks to Deep Quote, who helped me through the worst of my writer's block. Your suggestions were excellent, even though I may have followed them imperfectly. Arigato!!!

****

**********

No Need for Life Stories

"…I'm Ranma Saotome," The little redhead said miserably. Tenchi blinked. Obviously, his first impulse had been to scoff. Well, his first coherent one, anyway. But when he thought about it, he lived in the same house as a space pirate, a Juraian princess (Two, in fact), and a supergenius, among others. Was it really so far fetched? 

"Well…Why don't you explain this…" He began slowly.

"Curse," The girl, who claimed to be his cousin, interrupted. He shrugged and nodded.

"…Curse, to us?" he suggested. Ranma blinked. She hadn't expected her cousin to be such a laid back guy. Ryoko turned to Tenchi in amazement. 

"You actually believe this…this hussy?!" she asked incredulously. Ayeka nodded, a rare moment of agreement between the two. Tenchi shrugged. 

"Well, I didn't at first," he admitted, "But it's far from the strangest thing that's happened around here. It could be possible," he said. Ayeka frowned. 

"Lord Tenchi, I find such a wild story highly unlikely. More likely she is an assassin of some sort with shapeshifting ability!" Tenchi looked at the purple haired princess in amazement. 

"Ayeka…that sounds even less likely than her…I mean, his story. Let's hear him out, what harm could it do? You're both here to protect me, right?" He smiled lopsidedly at them. Ryoko and Ayeka gave a token grimace, but powered down their weapons and resumed their seats, mollified. Ranma went over to Sasami and Mihoshi, who was responsible for her current feminine state, and helped them to their feet. 

"Um…Sasami…Could you go get me three cups of water? Two hot and one cold?" She asked the little blue haired girl uneasily. Sasami smiled sympathetically. She was a little uncomfortable with the new face, but an inner voice, belonging to someone she trusted absolutely, compelled her to relax. 

"Sure," she replied brightly, and promptly did as she was asked. 

Ranma accepted the proffered glasses from Sasami and waited until the entire household had seated themselves. 

"Ah, Ok, Look…," she began uneasily, "I'll give ya the short version first. This body," She said, gesturing at her breasts, "Is a curse. This one is the way I really look," With that, she picked up one of the glasses of hot water and promptly upended it over her own head. The effect was just as stunning as the reverse had been. The petite, bosomy girl gained a good deal of mass and size, soft curves being replaced by lean, angular muscles. Ryoko and Ayeka's eyes were roughly the size of dinner plates, and Tenchi had to rub his eyes to make sure he had really seen what he'd thought he'd seen. Ryoko was the first to regain her wits. 

"So are you really a boy or a girl?" she asked. Ranma winced visibly. _Why does EVERYONE ask that??_ Gritting his teeth, he stifled the shout he'd wanted to give, and was about to answer, when Washu spoke. 

"Male," she offered brightly, not looking up, smiling at her astral computer in satisfaction. Everyone looked mildly disconcerted at the…less than Washu-like way she was behaving. Ranma, simply stunned, blinked. 

"uh…yeah, I am. How'd ya know?" he asked, smiling a little at the girl, or maybe lady, who had been really nice to him since he'd woken up. Washu shrugged.

"I scanned you with my computer. Men and women use their brains differently, and your brain is active in all the wrong places for a female. Add that to your body language and male speech patterns, and it suggests that you are a male, modified to look female," She explained. Ranma blinked again. He had understood most of that, and braced himself for the inevitable explosions of 'PERVERT!!' that usually followed this discovery, but, judging by the simple accepting nods going around the table, the pleasant realization dawned on him. He wasn't going to have to prove he wasn't some kind of effeminate lecher! They believed him! The thought made him a little giddy. 

Tenchi looked at Ranma, a frown of concern on his face. 

"Are you all right?" He asked. Ranma blinked out of his amazed glee. 

"Ah, sorry," Ranma replied sheepishly. "That was the first time I didn't have ta defend myself after people see the curse. I'm used ta people calling me a pervert an' stuff," Tenchi blinked. How could any rational person blame the curse on Ranma, especially after seeing how miserable it made him? He wanted to ask a question to that effect, but Washu interrupted. 

"Unbelievable!" She exclaimed, staring at her computer. She looked up at Ranma, her natural curiosity overcoming her nervousness at speaking to him, 

"How did this happen?" she asked, her emerald eyes alight with slightly crazed curiosity. While everyone else was relieved at the sudden return to familiar territory, (at least to them)Ranma tensed. 

"I really wish you hadn't asked that," he said, bigsweating. "Well, it's like this…,"

Ranma wound up his (tragic) tale of the ill-fated training trip to Jusenkyo, then added some of his recent time at the Tendo's, detailing how hard the curse had made his life, along with his father. After he was finished, he looked up at the assembled family. He had the entire room spellbound. Tenchi stared at him, looking appalled, and yet sympathetic. _Jeez, _he thought, _And I thought my life was tough! _

Ryoko looked torn between wanting to burst into laughter, and sheer shocked amazement. _I guess there are worse parents than Washu, _she mused. 

Ayeka was merely angry. _Yosho was absolutely right to oppose that fool's marriage to Lady Nodoka. How dare a member of the Royal family be subjected to such abuse!_

Sasami's heart went out to her new friend. Ranma-san was good enough to save her from that attack she'd wandered into, and she could tell Tsunami liked him. She'd try hard to make him feel welcome. 

Yosho watched his recently discovered grandson as pride mingled with pity. _He has endured much, _Yosho reflected, thinking back to the letter his daughter had sent him, _And yet, his fighting spirit is strong. He is a credit to Nodoka, even if the fool has raised him. And, if I am not mistaken, he possesses a power of Jurai as well. The coming times will be interesting indeed, _The Juraian prince thought to himself. 

Mihoshi blinked repeatedly, as she was unsure of how to react. The story was funny, but sad as well. Well, she'd listen more before she decided what to do. 

Washu, for her part, had begun to look angry halfway through the story, and had only grown angrier as it progressed. She knew she wasn't a great parent, but this…this person who had raised Ranma had better watch out if he ever met up with the cutest genius scientist in the universe. She instantly thought of several experiments that she would definitely like to try on this Genma person. She chuckled mentally. Slow, painful experiments. No one, but no one could be allowed to get away with that. _Are you sure this has nothing to do with his resemblance to you know who? Or the fact that he stirred up the urge to play naughty nurse, like you did with Tenchi? _A small voice in the corner of her mind asked. _This has nothing to do with Tenchi! _She protested. Her inner voice smiled. _That wasn't what I asked…_. Washu looked up at Ranma and colored slightly. _…maybe…_ she admitted to herself. 

Confronted with several moments of silence, Ranma began to fidget nervously. As each member of the Masaki home was pondering what they had just been told, the smallest member, the sentient space ship known as Ryo-Ohki, hopped cheerfully into the living room. She had been out in the fields since the family had brought the man who had been fighting with her mistress home, and she could feel strange emotions along her mental link with Mistress Ryoko. She looked around and saw Ryoko, along with everyone else who lived in the house staring at the man who had been fighting earlier. There didn't seem to be any of the free floating anger from Ryoko that usually signaled the beginning of a brawl, but he had definitely managed to surprise her mistress somehow. She bounded curiously over to the newcomer. He didn't seem to notice her, so she sniffed him carefully. She couldn't figure out why he was so interesting. Perhaps he had carrots!!! Grabbing his pants leg in her mouth, she tugged gently, getting his attention, he looked down at her and seemed to tense up, for reasons she couldn't fathom. She let out a questioning "Miya?" 

After that, everything went to straight to hell. 

Everyone in the living room sprang up as Ranma let out a terrified yell. In a blur of motion, the martial artist was in a corner of the room, eyes as wide as dinner plates. Sasami was the first to move. She scooped up Ryo-Ohki in her arms, and turned to Ranma. 

"What's wrong, Ranma-san?" asked a concerned Sasami, clutching the cabbit to her chest protectively. She was surprised. Ranma had seemed impossibly big and strong while he was carrying her in the hurricane, but now he was pressed into a corner, huddled as close to the wall as he could, shaking like a leaf. 

Tenchi, had immediately sensed something was wrong, and If wasn't mistaken, Ryo-Ohki had something to do with it. He moved and interposed himself between Ranma and Sasami.

"Are you ok? What's wrong?" Tenchi asked. Ranma stuttered a moment, then finally managed to get out, 

"C-C-cat!" he managed, pointing a Ryo-Ohki. Ryoko blinked, and got up to stand beside Tenchi. 

"Cat? That isn't a cat!" she protested. Ranma eyed her, disbelieving, as he seemingly tried to push himself through the wall of the Masaki home. Washu looked on with horrified interest. When she had first come to stay on Earth, for a little light reading, she had devoured several thick psychology textbooks. The type of fear Ranma was displaying was beginning to alarm her. 

"Ranma, what's wrong?" Mihoshi asked worriedly from beside Washu. She was beginning to get her 'frowny-face', and when the blonde was worried, that expression inevitably led to a crying jag. 

"This can't be good," Washu muttered under her breath, not noticing Mihoshi in the slightest. As the red-haired scientist continued mumbling, Mihoshi made out a few words, 'associative phobia', and 'extreme trauma' but she didn't really understand so Mihoshi simply went back to watching the tense scene before her. 

"He's scared of a cat? Are they usually frightening?" Ryoko asked as she floated above the table and watched Ranma moved away from Sasami, edging along the wall.

Tenchi turned away from Ranma for a moment.

"No. Ryo-Ohki sort of looks like one, in fact they're pretty small and harmless. I've never seen anyone react this way to a cat," he said worriedly, then he turned his attention back to Ranma, only to note with dismay that Ryo-Ohki had wiggled out of Sasami's arms and hopped toward his cousin, head cocked curiously. 

"Miya?"

"AUUUGGHHH!" Ranma scrabbled against the wall and continued to scan the surroundings, looking for an escape, any escape. Sasami, looking troubled, dashed forward and picked up the sentient spaceship again, and retreated to what she deemed a safe distance. Yosho, who had simply watched until that point, pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps Ryo-Ohki should change forms for now," he suggested.

"Ok, Grandpa." Sasami looked relieved at the suggestion. "Can you change, Ryo-Ohki? You make Ranma-san nervous like this," she told her furry friend gently. Ryo-Ohki seemed delighted to find a way out of the dilemma. With a 'blip' the small animal was gone, replaced by the larger, slightly furry form of a five to six year old girl, wearing a light pink dress emblazoned with a large carrot. 

"Miya, miya." Sasami glanced over at Tenchi's cousin, noting he seemed to relax almost instantly, though he still tensed visibly when Ryo-Ohki mewed. She leaned down and whispered in the smaller girl's ear.

"Maybe you shouldn't do that, either. At least until Ranma-san gets used to you," she advised. The little cabbit-girl nodded seriously. 

"Kaw-wot?" she asked. Sasami giggled in spite of herself, feeling some of the tension of this new situation drain away. 

"I think you can say that," she told Ryo-Ohki, her large eyes dancing with mirth. 

Sasami and Ryo-Ohki rejoined the others, and watched as Ranma calmed down when the 'cat' was out of sight. After a few more minutes, he regained his control, took a seat at the table, and bowed his head.

"Kuso. I really didn't wanna…Ah, man. I'm sorry 'bout this." He mumbled, shooting the newly humanoid Ryo-Ohki an interested look, wondering faintly if Jusenkyo was involved in the odd transformation. 

"Ranma, would you mind telling me what's going on?" Tenchi asked gently. Ryoko and Ayeka, seated on either side of the Ranma's cousin, nodded, their expressions mirrors of worry. Ranma sighed and shook his head in frustrated disbelief. 

"Aw, might as well. You're gonna need to know, anyway," Looking back up at everyone, he continued, "How much do you guys know about my life?" he asked. Yosho spoke up.

"Aside from what you just told us, your mother's letters were quite detailed. She mentioned you left home with your…father," Even Yosho had trouble keeping the distaste from his voice, "…At the age of six, and have been training in the fighting arts ever since," Ranma nodded. 

"Yeah, that's about right. Pop trained me as best he could before that, but as soon as I could walk, he started plannin' the training trip," He added. "Said being at home with Momma would make me 'soft'" The darkening of Yosho and Ayeka's expressions were not lost on Ranma, but he himself had long since failed to feel any real anger about it. Genma had screwed up his life royally, but what was done was done. He only wished that some things had worked out… "Anyway, One day, my Pop decided to teach me a technique in this old fighting book he stole, called the Neko-ken." At that instant, Yosho lifted his head and his eyeglasses cleared. Ayeka and Ryoko looked mystified, Tenchi frowned, and Washu's expression grew stony. Sasami, Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki were enraptured by the story. Ranma looked around the table briefly, then resumed his narrative. 

"Any way, he 'found' this manual and followed the instructions. The baka didn't even read the page that said it was banned, 'till it was too late."

"So, how is this…Neko-ken taught?" inquired Tenchi, a nervous feeling building in the pit of his stomach. Ranma closed his eyes and began to recite from memory.

"First, the subject…That would be me," he began wryly, "Is bound hand and foot by links of fish sausages, then wrapped in more of the same. Then, The subject is to be exposed to no less than fifty c-c-ca-ahem felines, unfed for a minimum of four days,"

"That's awful," Sasami gasped, covering her mouth in horror, unable to understand why anyone would do that kind of thing. Even the worst person she had ever heard of, Most Wanted Criminal Kagato, hadn't been that into suffering. Ranma sighed. 

"Well, Yeah. Don't think too badly of Pops, though. He got a little carried away with training sometimes, but he didn't do it to hurt me, 'zactly. He's just an idiot. If he'd bothered to read one page farther into the manual, there was a page that said teaching the Neko-ken was banned because it caused trainees to go insane. Later on, he admitted to the Tendo's he'd never have tried it if he'd read that first, but he didn't. Like I said, He's just an idiot," Ranma said, his voice cracking slightly, betraying his casual attitude.

"If cat's are like Ryo-Ohki, what's so scary about some stupid cats?" asked Ryoko, curiously. 

"Nothing, to an adult. It would be just painful then. Maybe a little scary to have starving animals clawing at you…" Ranma broke off again, doing a full body shiver that seemed to go on an awfully long time.

"H-How old were you then?" asked Sasami, nervously. Ranma looked at the little girl, his eyes haunted by the memory.

"Six."

"SIX!!!" exclaimed the group, in unison. 

"By the Emperor," Ayeka breathed. Ryoko looked on, wide-eyed. _Washu, I take back everything I ever said about you being a bad mother. You might not have been the best, but, Kuso! I could have had much, much worse._

"This is how you developed this fear of cats?" asked Washu tightly. Ranma replied quietly, eyes closed. In his mind's eye he could still see them.

"Yeah." He sat still for a moment, trying to banish the haunting scene from his memory, and not succeeding. Eventually, more came spilling out. He hated talking about it, but he couldn't seem to stop. "I j-just gotta…close my eyes for a minute, and I-I can see 'em. All of 'em s-scratching, c-clawin'…-ohhhgawd!" He broke off for a moment, shuddering violently. The Masaki household was stunned. The inhumanity of the act was astounding. And the effect on Ranma…well, it was understandable, to say the least. When he showed no signs of being able to calm down, Washu shocked the household further. She was moving before she even finished thinking about what to do. The (Currently) tall, red-headed scientist got up, quickly walked over to the traumatized young man and wrapped her arms around him and rocked him gently, murmuring,

"Shh, It's ok," Slowly, Ranma got his memories under control. When he realized how Washu was holding him, he colored, and was about to pull away violently, apologizing, when Washu simply released him first. She moved back a little, and Ranma, very, very quietly, muttered,

"Ah…Arigato," Washu, regaining a little of her sauciness, winked.

"Anytime, handsome," she chuckled. Ranma laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. He was still red, but glad to burst some of the tenseness of the situation. Yosho watched the scene, impassive. 

"There's more to it, isn't there," It wasn't a question. 

"Hai," Ranma admitted, wincing. "I didn't learn it the first time." He said quietly. His grandfather's eyebrow twitched, but Yosho said nothing. The rest of the household was not as silent, instantly catching the implications of the statement. 

"WHAT??!!" the group cried again. Ranma shrugged.

"Pop is a real dope. When he tossed me in the first time, I didn't learn it, so instead of reading more, he wrapped me in fish sticks and tried again. When that didn't work, He tried sushi, and then other stuff and threw me in a few more times. Eventually, I snapped."

"SNAPPED?!?!?"

"Hai," Ranma said, wishing they would stop yelling. "That's the thing about the Neko-ken. It gives you unbelievable power. When I'm in the grips of it, I'm stronger, faster and more powerful. But…The price of that power is that I'm not really in control anymore," Ranma said calmly. "Plus, the phobia, like ya saw. I can't even see a picture of a c-c-c…that animal, without freaking out," Mihoshi was quaking at this announcement. 

"Why…Why can't you control it, Ranma?" asked the blond detective. Ranma grimaced. 

"When I freak out, and the cats are around, if they stay around, The fear gets worse and worse," He said gritting his teeth. He wasn't as on edge as he had been, but he still hated talking about this. However, he supposed it was for the best so that no one would get hurt if somehow he did fall into the Neko-ken. "Then at a certain point, scared feeling stops, and I sort of black out. According to the people who've seen it, when I'm in the Neko-ken, I start acting like a cat, and I attack whatever I feel is threatening me," Yosho nodded. 

"So the Neko-ken did drive you insane, after a fashion," Ranma winced. 

"Well, yeah. But there's something different about my version of it," he added. Yosho looked intrigued.

"What is it?" asked Ranma's grandfather. Ranma looked reflective for a moment. 

"Well, I know this ol' ghoul who has seen it before, an' she saw me do it too," he began, "And she said it always turned out the same, in every subject, except me. It turns the subject into a super strong beserker. But with me, it does that…although…I have these…um…ki claws, I guess you'd call 'em. They're just about unstoppable, and they slash through anything, they tell me. I woke up once in the middle of a clearing, and it turned out there'd been trees there before I went cat. Nothin' left but toothpicks after that. Cologne, that's the ol' bat, doesn't think they're ki, but I don't know how to generate any other kinda energy, and…What?" Ranma broke off as he realized Yosho, Tenchi and Washu were staring. Yosho and Tenchi shared looks of dismayed amusement, while Washu was practically salivating over the prospect of a new, handsome, 'guinea pig'. Tenchi grinned a little. 

"Sounds like you've got the gift, too, Ranma. Welcome to the club," he grinned. Washu nodded. 

"Absolutely," she said cheerfully, consulting her astral computer. "My scans show he's definitely got a variation of your powers. Not quite as much raw power as you, Tenchi, but considerable none the less," Ranma turned an inquiring look to Washu, and asked, 

"What do you guys mean? What kind of power does Tenchi have?" he asked, interested. Washu colored slightly under Ranma's rather frank and direct gaze. Fortunately for her, Yosho sensed that a meaningful answer might not be forthcoming from the distracted genius. He cleared his throat, drawing all of their gazes to him. 

"Ranma…What do you know of our family tree?" Ranma blinked, glad to be given something other to think about than the really kawaii red-headed girl, Washu. 

"Umm…not much," he admitted. Tenchi looked at his grandfather askance. 

"Are you going to tell him everything?" he asked doubtfully. Yosho smiled. 

"Why not? You might have a difficult time explaining Ayeka's logs, and Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki without the truth, hmmm?" Tenchi colored. He'd forgotten about that. In the confusion following the revelation of Ranma's curse, he'd dismissed it as unimportant. Yosho divined the nature of his grandson's concerns easily. "I think his own experience ought to be sufficient for him to be able to have an open mind, Tenchi," he assured Tenchi calmly. Meanwhile, Ranma, whose head had snapped back and forth between the two, as though he was watching a tennis match, finally spoke up. 

"Hey! It's Ok, really. If you need to keep it a secret, I won't tell nobody. My word as a martial artist," Tenchi grinned ruefully. 

"You're going to regret that," he assured his cousin. "But, you want to know? I suppose you should, it affects you, too," he mused. Then, to everyone's surprise, he began telling the story himself. 

"It all began last summer when I was working up at the shrine, and I got bored one day. I decided to sneak into Grampa's office to get the keys to this really cool cave behind the shrine…,"

Tenchi told the stories of how he'd met everyone who eventually came to stay in his home, and the story of their clash with Kagato. Everyone sat and listened as Tenchi wove the tale together, Helped along by Ryoko and Ayeka in parts, and, as he finished, looked over at Ranma. Ranma sat absolutely still, drinking in every word. When Tenchi finally stopped speaking, Ranma blinked twice. 

"Really?" he asked. Tenchi nodded, a bit ruefully. 

"Really." 

"Wow," 

"You believe me?" Tenchi asked, a little off balance. Ranma shrugged. 

"Sure. Why would you lie? 'Sides, That lady," he said, pointing to Ayeka, "Has those electric log things, and Ryoko's got that sword thing she does, and she can fly…It makes sense. Heh. They ain't even the weirdest people I've ever met. I know a guy who changes into a gigantic Minotaur when he gets wet, and a 300 year old pervert," Ranma said offhandedly. Tenchi gaped, and wondered if the tendency toward strange lives was par for the course with people of Juraian heritage. 

"So…" Ranma continued, "If Grampa's a Prince, what does that make us, Tenchi?" he asked. Tenchi blushed. He knew, but saying it out loud sounded…ostentatious, somehow. Ayeka answered for him. 

"That makes you and Lord Tenchi princes of the planet Jurai, Lord Ranma," The purple haired princess said, smiling. Ranma winced. He really hated the way that sounded, 

"There isn't anyway I can convince you ta stop calling me that?" he asked. Ryoko grinned. 

"Well, If you piss her off bad enough, she might start calling you 'monster woman' like she does me," She chuckled. Ranma winced. 

"I dunno. I think I like that even less," he murmured. Ayeka went red, glaring at her nominal rival, her genial manner vanishing. Her logs appeared in mid-air, crackling with power. 

"How DARE you embarrass me in front of my relatives!!" she shrieked. Ryoko winked at Ranma and, still chucking, phased through the wall of the house. Ayeka fumed a moment, and raced for the door. 

"You don't get away that easily, demon!" Ranma snickered as Tenchi sighed. 

"Those two…" Tenchi said, grimacing. Ranma smiled at his cousin.

"Just like home," he commented. At that moment, the clock chimed. Sasami turned to it with a start. 

"Oh, no! I haven't started dinner yet!" she exclaimed. Yosho smiled slightly. 

"That's alright, Sasami. Someone can help you prepare it," he offered. Mihoshi smiled brightly. 

"Yeah! I like helping you cook, Sasami-chan!" Washu smiled a very tiny smile. 

"Well, while I'm waiting, I have a few experiments I should look in on. Call me when you're ready, Sasami," Sasami smiled. She already knew exactly who she was going to send to retrieve the scientist when the time came. Tsunami had noticed the looks she had been shooting at the newest member of the household, and the odd flush Ranma had gotten when he'd returned those looks. Sasami smiled. She wasn't 100% sure, but the chemistry of that pairing seemed impressive already, and she couldn't resist the urge to try and push them together, just to see what would happen. 

"Hai!" was all she said. Washu gave a tiny wave, and with one further, surreptitious glance at Ranma, she returned to her lab. Yosho watched her go impassively. When she was gone, he turned to Tenchi. 

"Well, until dinner, I believe you and I have sword practice, Tenchi," he told him. Tenchi winced. 

"I was hoping you'd forgotten," he admitted, absently rubbing his head. Yosho smiled. Ranma blinked at his cousin. 

"You're a fighter?" he asked, amazed. Tenchi was about as big as he was, but his cousin had a gentle look that did not at all go with the idea of him fighting. Tenchi rubbed his head, a little embarrassed. 

"Sort of. Grandpa's taught me the sword fighting style of the Juraian Royal family," Ranma looked intrigued. 

"Can I come and see?" Tenchi winced. 

"I'm not really that good…" He said. Ranma shrugged. 

"That's what practice is for, right? 'Sides, I've fought a few sword guys. Maybe I can help some," he offered. Yosho nodded. 

"Certainly. I would be interested in testing the depth of your skill as well, Ranma," The old man told him. Ranma grinned. 

"Anywhere, Anytime," he said confidently. Yosho smiled wider. Tenchi winced. He had a bad feeling about this…

Tenchi shook his head as he and his cousin mounted the steps to his room. He looked sidelong at Ranma, and the pigtailed youth glanced at him, guilelessly. 

"What?" he asked. Tenchi smiled ruefully. 

"I'm just a little jealous, that's all. I've been trying to get in a good hit on Grandpa for years. I've never seen him fight anybody that hard…in a practice match, that is," he commented. Ranma grinned sheepishly. 

"I kinda got lucky on that one. Grandpa…" he paused, savoring the word oddly, "Is as good…maybe even better than the lech or the ol' ghoul…er, that is, Happosai or Cologne," he amended. Tenchi grinned. At least now he knew why Ranma and Ryoko got along so well. Their complete irreverence and honesty were refreshing, in a way. He only wished he could talk to Ryoko this way a little, instead of having her try to jump directly down his pants. Not that he was totally averse to the concept…He cut the train of thought off, blushing, as he realized Ranma was still talking. 

"…Tenchi? Yo! You in there?" 

"Sorry. I got distracted there for a minute," Tenchi apologized. Ranma nodded. 

"S' ok," Ranma said casually. "Hey, what's the deal with all the girls? They your fiancées or something?" Tenchi grimaced. 

"Or something," he responded sourly. Ranma blinked.

"What?"

"Well, I guess they are, actually," Tenchi admitted. 

"How come you 'guess'?" asked his cousin. Tenchi sighed as he opened the door to his room, admitting his roommate for the immediate future. Ranma followed, gazing curiously around the room. 

"Well, I didn't ask them to marry me," Tenchi said finally. "Grandpa basically arranged for me to marry Ayeka, then later he gave Ryoko his blessing when she asked. The others are just houseguests. Maybe. I can't really figure Mihoshi or Washu out," he admitted. Ranma grinned ruefully. 

"Multiple fiancée's, huh. You too?" Tenchi recoiled. 

"Really?" he asked in surprise. "How many?" Ranma sighed. 

"Well, before I left, there were four. Momma said she was gonna take care of it, though," Tenchi gaped. When he finally managed to close his mouth, he simply shook his head. 

"That's really…depressing, actually. Here I thought I had the weirdest life on the planet," Ranma grinned. 

"Nah. I remember this one time when this guy kidnapped one of my fiancées, Akane…,"

They traded stories until Sasami called them for dinner. 

In the midst of a realm beyond human comprehension, Tokimi was. She sat, contemplating the nature of the dilemma that the failure of the one called Dr. Clay had thrust upon her. She wasn't threatened, of course. A being such as Tokimi could not be threatened. She was merely…inconvenienced. The conflict with her sisters would continue, and so would she. Suddenly, another presence manifested itself. Her loyal servant, D3 spoke to her. 

"I have news of Lady Washu, My Lady," came D3's monotone rumble. Tokimi did not turn her head to him. 

"First, what has been done about the fool?" she asked, her high soprano containing controlled malice. She could hear the hint, ever so faint, of satisfaction in D3's voice. 

"Dr. Clay has been…dealt with," he assured her. D3 had never liked the bumbling operative and had been only too glad to end his current existence. Tokimi showed no hint of a reaction, but her voice carried a note of approval.

"You have done well," Without waiting to be asked, D3 continued his report, his monotone somehow managing to grow even more somber. 

"I believe Lady Washu has chosen an Knight, My Lady," he said grimly. Tokimi again did not react. 

"I thought we had eliminated all possible candidates, D3," she said mildly. D3 bowed his head. 

"As did I, My Lady. After our removal of her first choice, There was no one similar in the logical places to look for a replacement. Apparently, He is also from the planet Tsunami drew her Knight from, the blind spot on our realm. Earth." he said simply. Tokimi gave the slightest of sighs, her stoic face changing not a whit. 

"Earth is a most troublesome planet. A wild card in our plans. After my sisters are defeated, it will be removed," It was not a question. D3 nodded. 

"Your will be done, My Lady," he intoned. Tokimi nodded. 

"Very well. Cease the search for Lady Washu, as it seems Chaos has aligned with the Light once again. Send a fighter to test the Knights of my sisters. Kizuato, I think," She told him. D3, aware that there was more to come, simply waited, as the coldly regal goddess ruminated for a moment. "Arrange for the release of Gekido," she said finally. "Our pawn of long ago has aged well, and it is time to test him, to determine if he could be of use to us," she instructed. D3 nodded, and vanished. 

"Your will be done," 

__

Samasu Gekido sat in the prison of his mind, dispassionately pondering the nature of his current dilemma. He relentlessly probed the barriers of the cage the Juraians had placed upon him, trapping his peerless mind within its own borders, denying him the mental control over others that he had come to view as his by right of his birth. 

The fact that he was abusing the genetic gift that had been given to him had not even occurred to him. The nature of his Royal Yasekumin birth gave him free license to do as he wished. The fact that the Juraians did not agree was of little consequence in the long run. He would rule his planet, and many more long after the meddlesome tree-huggers had passed into the Great Eternity. In the short term, however, he would not accomplish a great deal sealed within his own mind like this. He must escape. He returned his attention to the boundaries that had been placed upon his mind, and resumed examination of it's structure. 

After a certain amount of time, (He could not be sure how much, as time was not easily measured without a point of reference,) he discovered an oddness in the psychic walls hemming him in. While he observed, as if by some arcane magic, a gap appeared in the barrier. He wondered at that for a moment, his very nature unwilling to accept the fact that he had been given a glorious opportunity. After a moment considering the astonishing event, He discarded the possibility of a trap. Someone wanted him free. He would be expected to pay for this favor, he knew. Deciding to worry about the possible consequences later, He spent some time trying to decide how best to exploit it. The walls were not weakened by the hole, it was simply there. Therefore, attempting to batter his way out was not an option. There was not enough room to shunt his astral form out of the hole, and that would leave him minus a body, in any case. That too was impractical. However, the hole did allow him to extend his awareness beyond the boundaries of his mind to a limited degree, with his newfound ability, he began to observe his surroundings. So, given something new to do, Samasu Gekido simply waited, and planned. 

Next Time: Ranma is settling in, and seems to get along well with most of the household. However, Ayeka becomes critical, as Ranma's behavior isn't what she thinks a newly discovered prince of Jurai should be like. 

Ranma offers to help Tenchi train a little as Ryoga shows up for the first time. And, in deep space, there's a woman with a serious grudge against Mihoshi deciding to head for Earth. 

All this, and Nabiki prepares to leave Nerima accompanied by Nodoka. And a new villain heads to earth, all in the next chapter. Please look forward to it!

AN: Well finished at last. I knew I had to have a chapter like this, but I really hated writing it. This one was hard, because I had to plot wayyyy into the story without the benefit of any major inspiration. I'm not exactly happy with it, but I'm kind of picky. So, expect to see this one revised once or twice, although I expect I'll leave the majority of it intact. (BTW, If anyone wants to pre read, I could use one or two more.)

Hope you like it, but if not, Be polite when you say so, ne? 


	5. No Need for a New Start___Chapter 4-Life...

Note: The characters in this story don't belong to me

Note: The characters in this story don't belong to me. They belong to other people, and I am perverting them for my own use. And by other people, I mean corporations with lots of money. Way more than I'll ever have. So no lawsuits, ok?

****

**********

Life in the Fast Lane

Captain Darkash of the United Coalition of (Non-Juraian)Planets starship _Indomitable _sat bolt upright in his bunk when the irritatingly loud chime of the door to his quarters sounded.

"Come in," he snarled, wiping the last traces of sleep from his eyes. The door swished open, revealing a young lieutenant stood in the doorway, framed by the muted lighting of the corridor. "What is it, Naoko?" The girl blushed slightly and averted her eyes from her captain's bare torso as he swung his legs off of his bed and began putting on his uniform. 

"Executive Officer's compliments, sir." She stammered, "He apologizes for interrupting your sleep, but we have a distress call on the monitors." 

Darkash blinked as he pulled on his uniform pants, a little angry now. "Is that all?" he asked incredulously. "Can't he handle it himself?" 

The girl looked up, her expression earnest. "Oh no, sir! It's not like that at all! He thought he should inform you that it was a standard Galaxy Police code," 

Darkash stopped in the middle of pulling on his uniform tunic, and turned to look at her. "The Galaxy Police?" 

"Yessir!" the girl said, nodding. 

Darkash looked thoughtful, as he finished dressing. "It might be useful to have them owe us one," he mused thoughtfully. The girl said nothing, simply nodded. "Well, ok," he muttered. "I'll be up in five minutes. Dismissed." The girl nodded sharply and fled, and Darkash's cabin door swished shut. Unfortunately, He had not turned on the lights, and, surprised by the sudden darkness, he promptly banged his shin hard against his bed. A roar of pain echoed out into the corridor. 

Five minutes later, Darkash limped onto the bridge. His Executive Officer, a thin sword blade of a man with a narrow, hawk like face, looked curiously at him. Darkash glared back.

"All right," Darkash said harshly, "What's so damned important?" His XO however, was not cowed. 

"We discovered a debris field drifting through the borders of our space, Captain," he said mildly, "I ordered a small detour in our patrol to take a closer look. When we had closed to thirty light-minutes, Communications picked up this." With that, he gestured to a slight young woman that Darkash didn't recognize sitting at the Comm station. She turned to her controls, and after a slight delay, a full throated, slightly husky woman's voice played over the bridge speakers. 

"To any and all spacecraft in the area. This is Galaxy Police Detective first-class Kiyone Makabi. I have been stranded and request immediate pickup."

The message repeated itself twice before Darkash ordered the speakers silenced. 

"What do we do about this, I wonder?" he mused. His XO raised an eyebrow. 

"We aren't obligated to do anything, sir. This does fall under the responsibility of the GP and Juraian Empire." Darkash nodded. 

"Sure, but we don't know that she could survive long enough for us to notify the GP…" Darkash stroked his chin a moment in thought. If possible, he wanted little or nothing to do with the GP, as they were not especially popular with The Coalition. (Mostly due to the fact that a single Galaxy Police operative had managed to somehow shut down the Fleet headquarters for three weeks by somehow shorting out the supercomputer that ran the base.) On the other hand, he wasn't willing to chalk this woman's death up to unfortunate circumstance, either. He nodded sharply, his decision made. 

"Right. Helm, come about, right full. Take us into the debris field. Tactical, try and get us a lock on where the signal is coming from, and feed the co-ordinates to the helm." After a moment of watching the flurry of activity his orders caused, he walked over to a bulkhead and tapped the intercom. 

"Infirmary? This is the bridge. Prepare yourself, Doctor, we're taking a castaway on board." Without waiting for the Doctor's acknowledgement, Darkash cut the connection. He hoped he was doing the right thing. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this. With a muted thrum, the engines of the _Indomitable _thrust the ship into the debris field.

###

Sasami Masaki awoke bright and early to the tentative light of the morning sun peering in the window. She sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and glanced to her side. There lay her older sister Ayeka, dead to the world, snoring softly. Sasami wondered, not for the first time, what Ryoko would pay for the knowledge that her sister snored. Giggling quietly behind her hand, she quickly and silently dressed and exited the room to make breakfast for her family. 

Sasami made her way quietly down the stairs and turned to enter the kitchen when she caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. She padded over to the sliding glass doors leading out into the spacious yard of the Masaki home and peered out. Not seeing anything, she slid the door open and took a few steps onto the patio. The sight made her gasp. 

Out in the middle of the yard was the Masaki residence's newest houseguest, Ranma Saotome. He was moving very quickly, doing a complicated dance of some sort. After a moment, Sasami realized it looked very much like the sword kata that she had seen the Juraian Royal Guard doing when she was little, only he didn't have a sword. She watched in wide-eyed appreciation for a moment. _Ranma-san must be very good,_ _he doesn't look like he's making any mistakes…he even has his eyes closed! _Then, as his kata reached what looked like its climax, He surprised her again. Instead of slowing down, he jumped. Sasami's jaw dropped open. Without any apparent effort, he had leaped nearly twice the height of the house! 

As he began to descend, Ranma intensified his kata, moving through punches and kicks with an eerily fluid grace, slowing to a stop as he alighted silently on the ground. Sasami couldn't hold it in any longer. 

"WOW!" 

Ranma turned and facefaulted. "Ah…How long ya been watchin' me?" he asked as he got up, looking at his unexpected audience. 

"Since before you jumped. You're really good, Saotome-san!" she complimented, smiling. Ranma puffed up at the praise, but winced as Sasami used his name. 

"Like I told your sister, ya don't gotta call me nothing like that. Jus' Ranma is fine." 

"That's not good manners," Sasami said snidely, in a fair impression of her older sister. She smiled again. Ranma blinked. 

"Oh. Well, I ain't really an expert on manners, I guess," he chuckled, scratching absently at the base of his pigtail. "Well, what d'ya call Tenchi?" 

"Oh, I call him Tenchi-oniichan. He's sort of like a big brother anyway," she said, dimpling. 

"Well, you could call me that too, if ya want. I hate the way 'Saotome-san' sounds. I keep wanting to look around for my pop…" Ranma was cut off as Sasami clapped her hands. 

"Really?" she exclaimed. Ranma nodded, grinning at the little princess's obvious delight. 

"Sure. But only if I can call ya imootochan…" he teased. 

"Sure!" Sasami giggled. 

"Heh. I always wanted a little brother or sister," Ranma commented, ruffling her hair with one hand. "So, what are ya doin' up this early, hime-chan?" 

Sasami smiled, then let out a small gasp. "Oh, yeah! Breakfast!" She said, dashing into the house, Ranma entering right behind her. 

"Really? All these girls in the house and you're the one who cooks?" He asked incredulously as the little girl hurriedly began pulling pots and pans from various cupboards. 

"Well, Ryoko and Ayeka try, sometimes," Sasami commented as she went, "But I don't like to let them too often. Ryoko never cleans up her messes, and Ayeka-oneechan…well, strange things happen when she cooks." 

"Really?" Ranma asked, a familiar dread seeping into his mind. "Like what?" Sasami turned back to him. 

"You wouldn't believe it," she told him as they entered the kitchen. Ranma followed. 

"You'd be surprised at what I believe," he noted wryly. "So, want some help making breakfast?" he offered. Sasami nodded. 

"Sure!" she responded brightly. "Mihoshi helps sometimes, but mostly I do it by myself…" Despite himself, Ranma was impressed. Sasami was doing at a very young age what Kasumi did for the Tendos.

"Hm! Well, what d'ya want me to do?" he asked.

"Could you slice the fruit for me?" she gestured to a tray on the counter laden with fruit. 

Ranma's face lit up in a broad smile. He shot Sasami a sidelong glance. 

"Hey, Sasami-hime, wanna see a trick?" he asked slyly. Sasami may have been exceptionally mature for a child, but she WAS a child. Her eyes lit up.

"Oh, yes please!!"

Ranma grinned mischievously as he picked up a carving knife. He walked over to the cutting board Sasami had indicated, and picked up it up, fruit and all. He walked over to the island in the middle of the kitchen, and tensed, as if he was going to throw the whole works, but at the last second, he stopped himself. At Sasami's questioning look, he chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry. Forgot ta wash 'em," he apologized. Sasami smiled, puzzled. Ranma pulled the fruit over to the kitchen sink, and rinsed them quickly. He returned to Sasami, and grinned again at her expectant expression. He tensed again, and to Sasami's astonishment, he actually tossed the entire platter of fruit high into the air. As the fruit hit the apex of it's flight, Ranma set the cutting board onto the table and jumped after the fruit, spinning the knife quickly in one hand. As the fruit dropped past him, the hand holding the knife lashed out with amazing speed, over and over again. Just as abruptly as it had begun, the fruit all dropped to the table, with Ranma landing neatly in the exact same spot he had jumped from. 

"Wow…" Sasami breathed. All of the breakfast fruit was neatly sliced, and had landed in a neat little starburst arrangement. Ranma laughed at Sasami's awestruck expression. "How did you do that??" she asked, her wide pink eyes fixing on his. 

"It ain't no big thing," Ranma replied, amused. "After practicin' the Art for so long, a little thing like this ain't nothin'." 

"Really?" 

"Sure. I've learned how ta do lots of things that are tough for some people. So figuring out little tricks like this ain't hard." 

"What else can you do?" Sasami asked excitedly. 

"Heh. How many plates you got?" Ranma asked, smirking. 

Tenchi rolled over in bed and smiled at the tantalizing aromas wafting up the stairs. _It smells like Sasami out did herself this morning, _he thought happily. Suddenly he realized there was something wrong. He sat up slowly. _Where's Ryoko? She usually…_ The thought trailed off as his eyes landed on the futon where Ranma had spent the night. _Oh. I guess she didn't want to give Ranma the wrong idea… _He paused as he considered the likelihood of that statement. _Or something. _He pushed back the covers and hopped out of bed, pausing a moment to yank on his pants, and padded out of his room into the hall, were he was immediately accosted in a warm, if slightly over-enthusiastic embrace. 

"Tenchi!" Ryoko squealed delightedly.

__

Aha, There she is. He thought, sighing. _I wish she would pick better times to do this…_ He blinked a moment as he wondered where that thought came from. As he tried to inhale, a difficult proposition, considering Ryoko's strength, he caught a whiff of her perfume, a slightly musky scent that had hints of raspberries. 

"Ryoko!" he groaned. "Leggo! I have to go to the bathroom!" She pulled away with a slight pout, but he could see mischief twinkling in her amber eyes. "And no phasing through the bathroom wall, either!" he warned. 

"Tenchi! Would I do something like that?" She protested, affecting an innocent air, running her finger coyly across his chest. Tenchi was unable to hide his amused smile. Ryoko really was beautiful, and he hated to constantly push her away, but there WAS Ayeka to consider…

"Yes," he said wryly. "And you have. Frequently." 

"I can't help it," Ryoko smiled, giggling. "You're just so cute! And well endowed, too…"

"RYOKO!" Tenchi yelled, his cheeks now glowing a shade of red usually associated with fire engines. Ryoko smiled good-naturedly, and stroked his face gently. 

"I'll go see what Sasami's up to. Ja ne!" she said cheekily, winking. Tenchi's blush deepened at the promise that was implied in the gesture. Ryoko laughed, and teleported away. A few moments later, Tenchi walked into the bathroom, still blushing. _She's in a good mood today. _Ryoko was better behaved lately, after the Dr. Clay incident, but she was still an incorrigible flirt. _And honestly, I'm not sure I'd have her any other way._

Ryoko materialized in the kitchen just as Ranma was attempting to catch a plate that was sailing toward him with his foot (His hands were full), while still talking with Sasami. She caught the tail end of his sentence as she phased in. 

"…and so, just when Akane was gettin' ready to pound me, 'cause she got the wrong idea about the whipped cream an' all, Nabiki comes in, an' explained ta her that Kuno had brought it for the 'pig-tailed girl'. So I got off the hook on that one." He said. Sasami giggled at that, stirring something sizzling on the stove. Ryoko quickly floated up behind Ranma.

"Ohayo!" she said casually. Ranma started violently, and the plate he had been fielding with his foot impacted rather solidly with his face, knocking him to the floor in a clatter of dishes. Ryoko smirked genially. "Have an accident, hotshot?"

"No thanks. Just had one," Ranma returned sourly from the floor. 

Ryoko chuckled. "And here I thought you martial arts types were supposed to be impossible to sneak up on." 

Ranma frowned. "Hey! I am! Ah…mostly. I just gotta be paying attention is all," he defended himself. Sasami looked over from her stool in front of the stove. 

"Are you ok, Ranma-niichan?" She asked. 

"Sure, Hime-chan. If I could survive all them stories, a plate ain't gonna hurt me much," Ranma boasted, grinning cockily. Sasami nodded. 

"Hai. Nabiki-san sounds very nice," 

"Yeah. She wasn't really, at first, but she was a big help the last six months or so," Ranma nodded. Sasami smiled and, turning her attention back to the stove, put the finishing touches on the last dish. Ryoko looked at Ranma thoughtfully. 

"She your girlfriend?" Ryoko asked. _Washu seemed pretty impressed by this guy. Better find out if it's gonna be tougher than I thought…_Ranma looked at Ryoko as he got up and shook his head. 

"No. Hell, until six months ago, I didn't even like her very much," He admitted. 

"What changed your mind?" 

"Well, she's a kinda like me," Ranma said slowly as he picked up the plates. "She's different from people her age, or even from her sisters, and 'cause of that, she's had to be alone for a lot of her life. It makes her a little hard to get to know. But once ya get past her tough image, she's a really good friend. Man, I doubt I would survived some of the stuff that's happened ta me without her help," 

"She sounds alright." 

Ranma smiled. "She is. You'd probl'y like her," 

Ryoko tilted her head, wondering exactly what he meant by that. She opened her mouth to ask another question when Sasami interrupted. 

"Ranma-niichan, will you go and tell Washu breakfast is ready?" 

"Huh? How come, Sasami-chan? Breakfast won't be for awhile yet." Ranma said.

"Yes, it's just everyone seems to take a long time whenever they go to Washu's lab, and I don't want you to be late for breakfast," she said, smiling. Ranma scratched his head, puzzled, as Ryoko hid a smirk behind her hand. 

"Well, ok." He said, and left the room. Ryoko turned to Sasami, openly grinning. 

"Pretty slick, kiddo. Since when are you a matchmaker?" 

"Ryoko-neechan? What are you talking about?" Sasami said curiously. Ryoko blinked hard, looked at the doorway Ranma had just exited from, then back at Sasami, noting the miniscule twitch of the little princess' lips. 

"Nice try, Sasami. I'm not buying it. I still remember the _Shoji_ manga prank, you know," Ryoko told her, and Sasami promptly blushed to the roots of her blue hair. 

"I said I was sorry," she offered abashedly. 

"Hey, relax." Ryoko waved it off. "Now, tell me if you're up to what I think you're up to." 

"Well, maybe a little…but you've got to promise not to say anything!" Sasami insisted. Ryoko looked puzzled. 

"How come?" 

"Well, Ranma-niichan was telling me some stories about where he used to live, and I don't want him to think I'm like that." 

Ryoko cocked her head questioningly. "Oh yeah? What kind of stories?" 

"Well, he told me that one time, his father and his iinazuke's father--"

Ranma hesitated at the closet door he had been told was Washu's lab. Washu had mentioned she was a scientist, but Ranma wondered what kind of experiments you could perform in a closet. And, by the looks of things, a small one. He wondered absently if he should knock. Shrugging, he rapped once on the door, as a warning he was coming in, and the door opened all by itself. With a highly dubious expression, Ranma peered into the inky blackness, and tentatively stepped through the door. 

To his utter surprise, he was suddenly in a brightly lit, cheerful looking grove of trees, planted in some sort of overly large greenhouse. The door closed with a click behind him, and, to his further shock, the door vanished into thin air! 

"What the??" Ranma was a little nervous now. How was he supposed to get out? Suddenly, Washu entered the clearing where he was. 

"Ranma! Hello!" she said warmly, smiling at him. Ranma turned from inspection of the space where the door was and grinned uncertainly, feeling his stomach do a flip-flop at the sound of her voice. 

"Hi, Washu. Sasami says..." Ranma trailed off as he stared at the red-headed girl. Washu blushed under the scrutiny. 

"Um…What is it, Ranma?" she asked, a trifle shyly. Ranma blinked. 

"Um, you look younger than you did yesterday," It was true. Yesterday, the intergalactic scientist had looked in her early twenties, some years older than Ranma. Today, she seemed in the same age category as Ranma himself, no older than nineteen. Ranma was extremely disconcerted. He had quite a number of confusing feelings upon meeting the beautiful older woman yesterday, but they were nothing compared to the girl he saw now. Washu smiled at his consternation. 

"My age is flexible." She said simply. 

"Nani?? Really?" 

"Sure," Washu nodded, smiling impishly. "Watch." She stepped back. Ranma blinked, suddenly, before his eyes, Washu became a pre-pubescent girl, about Sasami's age. 

"Sugoi," Ranma gaped. Washu giggled a little at the flabbergasted expression on his face. 

"I like this one for just having fun," She told him. "I use it a lot. Then, when I want someone to take me seriously," In the twinkling of an eye, the little girl Washu vanished, replaced by the stunning red-head he'd met the day before, "I use this one." She finished. Ranma nodded. 

"That's really cool," he said, whistling softly. Washu smiled at him, and he couldn't help but smile back. 

"Thanks," She said in her sultry voice. "And I made this one last night," she finished, reverting to the form she had when he'd come in. "What do you think?" 

"Kawaii," Ranma blurted, before he could even think of a response. He reddened and winced in habitual anticipation of an impact. However, Washu merely smiled back.

"Thank you," was all she said. Ranma chuckled sheepishly, and was suddenly struck by an idea. 

"Say, Washu-san?" he began respectfully. Washu smiled. 

"Just call me Washu, Ranma-kun. Or Washu-chan, if you like," She added a moment later raising a suggestive eyebrow, and smiling faintly. 

"Um, Washu…" he amended, trying very hard to think about something to get his mind off how his cheeks were getting red and his chest was beginning to constrict. "Could you do something like that for me?" Washu tilted her head quizzically.

"You want to be younger?"

"No! No, no," Ranma hastily assured her. "I've done that once already anyway," Washu gave him an odd look as he said this. 

"What I was wondering was…do you think you could do anything about my, um, curse?" he asked looking at his toes. Washu smiled, charmed by the shy manner, but then looked thoughtful a moment as her unparalleled mind took up the challenge.

"Well," she said, shooting a sly glance at the young man, "I'd need to scan you while you're transforming a few times to see if anything can be done…" Ranma nodded eagerly, missing the delighted twinkle in Washu's eyes. 

"Hey, no problem. But…I've almost been cured lots o' times. Do you really think you can do it?" 

"If anyone can, I can. Because…I am the greatest scientific genius in the UNIVERSE!! Heheheheheh!" she chuckled. Ranma sweatdropped. 

"Ah…really?"

"Sure," Washu grinned, and Ranma's eyes widened, though not in dismay. He knew that look. He was fairly certain he sported a similar grin every time he accepted a challenge. Washu might seem weird to some, but Ranma instinctively recognized the confidence that came with being the best. He smiled. 

"When do we start?" he asked eagerly. Washu shrugged. 

"Sasami should take a bit to get breakfast finished. We can start now, if you want," Washu offered tentatively, and Ranma nodded. 

"Sure. Hey, by the way, did you do that thing to Tenchi's door?" Ranma asked. Washu blinked. 

"What thing?"

"I dunno what it was exactly. I got up ta go to the washroom in the middle of the night, and when I opened the door, there was this red flash in the corner of my eye, and suddenly I was in the middle of the lake," Ranma explained, looking puzzled. Washu blushed furiously. 

"Gomen. I forgot all about that," she apologized sheepishly. "I put that there because Tenchi was having problems with Ryoko and Ayeka sneaking into his room at night," 

Ranma's eyes widened. "Really? Wow, that's pretty cool, Washu-chan. I coulda used something like that when I was stayin' with the Tendos," he grinned. Washu smiled, wondering if he even realized that he'd called her 'Washu-chan'. Probably not, she guessed. But still, it seemed to mean more than when the rest of the household used the 'little' that she insisted on. 

"Well, as long as you're staying in Tenchi's room, it shouldn't be too hard to fix it to let you in too," she told him as they walked into the part of her lab that she used for analysis. She pulled out her astral computer, and typed a few keys. A large machine hummed to life behind Ranma. Ranma whirled around. 

"What the-?" he uttered, as tentacles snaked out of the machine. The reached out to grab him and he tensed, getting ready to fight them off, when they paused and retracted on their own. He turned back to Washu, blinking. 

"Sorry," She apologized as she finished entering the 'halt' command. "I did that to get Tenchi to hold still while I examined him. I shut it off though, It's harmless now." Ranma nodded. "So," Washu continued, "Let's get started, ne?" 

"Do I gotta take off my shirt or something?" Ranma asked, looking mildly uncomfortable with the prospect. 

_Please Do!!_ A voice in Washu's head piped up. She shook her head. He was obviously a little skittish. She would have to be patient. Aloud, she merely said, "Not if you don't want to, Ranma-kun. I should be able to scan you just fine like that," she assured him. Ranma relaxed a little, and Washu couldn't resist. He was so cute when he was nervous, she felt the need to tease him a little. "Besides, we have time enough for that later," Ranma instantly went red. He started to splutter, but the hum of activating scanners drowned out whatever it was he was planning to say as the greatest scientist in the universe did what she did best. (Science stuff, hentai!) 

###

Nabiki stared unseeing at the suitcase that sat in the middle of her room. She had begun packing early in the morning, and had finished twenty minutes later, the suitcase about half full. _And that's everything that belongs to me, _Nabiki thought bleakly. _The rest of the stuff in here is either Kasumi's or Akane's. Have I really had that little impact? _She reached up to scratch at the pristine white bandage that encircled her head. Unbidden, a memory came to mind, of when she and Nodoka had seen Ranma off from the Saotome house as he went to the train station to Okayama. He had looked a little lost, a far cry from his usual confident strut, but she distinctly remembered the pack on his back. It had seemed a little small, and she had asked Nodoka if he had all he'd need. The older woman smiled, a little sadly. 

"That's everything he owns, Nabiki-chan,"

Nabiki sighed again as she snapped out of her thoughts and stared at the exceedingly small little suitcase. _Ranma and I have something in common. What are the odds of that? _

The sound of a knocking door intruded on her thoughts. Nabiki looked up. 

"It isn't locked," she called. Timidly, her gaze cast down, Akane stepped into her room. 

"Uhm…Hi…" Akane began. Nabiki tilted her head. This was unexpected. 

"Hi Sis. Come to smack me with your mallet for stealing your fiancé?" Nabiki asked bluntly. 

"No! Of course not!" She protested, reddening.

"Why not? That's the usual routine, isn't it?" 

"It's not your fault," Akane insisted. "Ranma-" 

"Don't say it, 'neechan." Nabiki warned. "I'm in no mood to hear about how all this is Ranma's fault. Especially since he hasn't been here for two days. Do you have ANY idea how silly you sound when you do that?" Akane gaped, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly. Nabiki shook her head, wincing a little as her concussion blurred her vision momentarily. Not for the first time, she wished for Ranma's recuperative abilities. Akane finally broke the silence with a tremulous question. 

"Do you love Ranma?" 

Nabiki shook her head disbelievingly. "What kind of a question is that?"

"Just answer it!!" Akane snapped. Nabiki glared at her younger sister, but when she saw the pain there, she relented. 

"Don't be silly, Akane. Of course not!" 

Akane's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you. Everyone loves Ranma!" 

Nabiki grinned. "Even you, Little sister?" 

"NO! I don't love that Bakayarou Hermaphrodite!" 

"But you just said-,"

"Everyone but me!" Akane snapped. 

Nabiki shook her head. "Who exactly do you think you're fooling?" she told her sister, who was now flushed with anger. "This is why-," Nabiki was cut off by another knock. "Come in," she sighed. 

Kasumi entered the room gracefully, and her serene gaze fell on her younger sisters. "Here you are, Akane-chan. Could you run to the store for me please? We seem to have run out of cooking sake again," she asked, smiling. Kasumi's manner, as always, seemed to deflate Akane's wrath. 

"Hai, oneechan" she said wearily, and left the room, grumbling about drunken panda freeloaders. 

Nabiki shook her head. "Someday I'll figure out how you handle her so easily, Sis." 

Kasumi smiled impishly. "Tendo School of Anything-Goes Peaceful Aura technique," 

Nabiki blinked. Hard. Then started to chuckle, then collapsed into full blown laughter. Kasumi giggled as Nabiki finally sat up, wiping a tear from eye and wincing. 

"Oh boy. Don't do that too often, Sis. I don't think my ribs could take it, the shape they're in." 

Kasumi's expression turned sympathetic. "Gomen, Nabiki-chan. Are you alright?" 

Nabiki smiled. "Fine, fine. I needed that anyway. So, what's up, besides making sure Akane doesn't kill me?" 

"Auntie sent me to tell you that you leave in a couple of hours, oneechan," said Kasumi. Nabiki nodded as a pensive expression settled on her face. "What's the matter, oneechan?" she asked. 

Nabiki shrugged. "Just wondering what I got myself into is all," 

Kasumi nodded. "About the engagement?" 

"Yeah. I don't know if it was the right thing to do. But Uncle Saotome and Daddy were pushing harder than they should have. There's something fishy about all this. And…"

"And you're worried about how Ranma will take it," Kasumi finished. 

Nabiki nodded. "Uh-huh. He thinks he's gotten away from all this kind of stuff. Now we're about to set him up again." Nabiki didn't say, _And we were getting along pretty well, too…_

"Do you like Ranma?" The question, even though a similar one had been posed by Akane moments ago, took Nabiki by surprise. She looked at her sister, who had a serious expression on her face. 

"What makes you think that?" 

Kasumi merely raised an eyebrow. 

Nabiki sighed deeply. "Ok, sis. I like the guy, sure. I mean, how can you not like him? Even when he's being dumb he's just too cute. But, I don't like him...like that," Nabiki finished. 

"Ask him to help. Ranma-kun won't hold this against you, Nabiki-chan. You'll need him on your side to find out what Father isn't telling us," Kasumi urged. 

"You heard, huh?" Nabiki smiled ruefully. 

"Auntie told me how the discussion went," she said, nodding seriously. "I agree. There's more to the Saotome-Tendo agreement than Father has said." 

"And someone's got to save Ranma-kun from being their sacrificial lamb, ne?" 

"That's very altruistic, Nabiki-chan," Kasumi smiled.

Nabiki recoiled in mock horror. "Bite your tongue, sis. I'm mean and cold and nasty, and I've got money flowing through my veins," she said. 

"I know you better than that, oneechan," 

"So long as you don't tell anyone," Nabiki smiled. 

Kasumi nodded and walked to the door. "I had better finish with breakfast. Do you need anything?" 

Nabiki shook her head. "I'm Ok. Tell Auntie I'll be ready to go when she is," Kasumi nodded and left her little sister's room. She smiled as she walked to the kitchen. _I won't tell anyone, little sister, but I think Ranma-kun already knows. _

###

"Iitedakemas!" Ranma chorused cheerfully with the rest at the breakfast table as he dug into the meal Sasami had prepared. The Masaki household was about to follow suit, when Ranma began to eat in earnest. Ranma's hand was a blur as food from Ranma's plate vanished at an astonishing speed. Everyone stopped eating to stare. Just as he was finishing, Ranma looked up. "Wow, That's really great, Sasami," Ranma enthused. "Can I have some more?" 

Sasami shook the startled look off her face. She supposed that it might be rude, but Ranma-niichan looked so appreciative of her cooking she couldn't help but smile. "Sure, Ranma-niichan! I made lots!" She said. 

Ranma grinned as she dealt out more to his plate. He was about to begin eating again when he noticed the wide-eyed stares of the others. He paused chewing his first bite, chopsticks still in his mouth. "Huh? Do I got food on my face?" 

"Well, you seem to have quite the appetite, Ranma," Tenchi commented, chuckling a little. Mihoshi and Ryoko nodded, looking amazed. 

Washu smiled. "They've never seen anyone eat that way before," she explained as Ayeka frowned. 

"Nor should they have! Lord Ranma, your manners are appalling! Were you raised in the wild?" Ayeka snapped. Ranma looked bewildered. 

"Well, yeah..." 

"Well you are no longer there! Please attempt to eat like a civilized being!" She insisted. Sasami frowned at her older sister. 

"Ayeka, that's rude." The little girl reproved. She turned to Ranma and smiled. "It's ok, Ranma-niichan. I'm glad you like it," she assured him. Ranma smiled back at her. 

"Thanks, Sasami. I…Ah…Gomen, Ayeka-san…I'll try to…" Ranma began, but Ryoko cut him off. 

"Ah, don't worry about her. Little miss stick up the ass likes to complain. If it weren't you, she'd be whining at somebody else. But what's with the vacuum cleaner impression?," she said. Ayeka fumed silently as she was cut out of the conversation. Ranma shrugged. 

"It comes from bein' on the road with Oyaji," he explained. "We never got a whole lot to eat, so it became part of trainin'. We'd fight over the food, and whatever you could get in yer mouth you got t' eat. Until I got really fast, I went hungry a lotta nights," Ryoko blinked. She was trying to frame a suitable response, when the wall of the dining room exploded inward in a hail of broken wood. Ayeka's force field snapped into place, shielding Sasami and herself. Ryoko, Tenchi, Mihoshi and Noboyuki dove out of the way, as Ranma somehow managed to avoid the debris. As the dust and smoke settled, a man stepped into the Masaki home through the newly created door. 

"Excuse me," he said, "Can you tell me the way to the Unryuu farm?" 

Ranma blinked. "Ryoga? What the heck are you doing here?" The man stepped into view as the dust settled. A yellow bandanna held straight black hair away from a somewhat simple-looking face. 

Ryoga Hibiki turned toward Ranma, and a scowl spread across his face as he bared his fangs. "Ranma! PREPARE TO DIE!" 

Ranma grimaced as the other boy rushed at him, throwing punches. "Hey, wait! This ain't my…Dammit Ryoga! Don't do that in the house! Aw MAN!!!!"

###

The dank, dirty arena shook with the thunderous roar of the crowd. The air was thick with blood lust. The crowd's attention was riveted on the glaring warriors in the ground level in the arena. Soon, someone would die, and no one wanted to miss it. 

Kizuato stared contemptuously at his opponent, an Antelian Centurion, who gazed resolutely back at the large felinoid. Kizuato bared his fangs in a snarl, and the Centurion slipped into a combat stance, bringing his short broadsword to waist level. The Antelian looked competent, but Kizuato was unworried. He had killed far better than the Centurion in the Death Arena, and would do so again. He was the best of the Kanemeate Gladiators, and would never lose. His race were the hunters, and the rest of the galaxy was their prey. He flexed his giant paws, and long gleaming claws emerged. His victory would be swift. 

------

Kizuato stood over a puddle of gore as the crowd chanted his name. The battle-rage had left him, and he was slightly sickened by the antics of the motley assortment of the dregs of the galaxy that watched his fights. There was no honor here. The only reason he did not immediately plunge into the crowd and deprive these sorry beings of their pitiful lives was the dictates of his lady. He had sworn a blood oath to serve the Lady Tokimi, and so he would, even if it meant reducing his skills as a warrior to battling these pathetic shreds of fighters. Drawing himself up, he left the arena with as much dignity as he could muster. As he walked through the door into the passageway leading to his preparation chamber, the crowd reached for him, hundreds of hands trying to vicariously share his victory. Shaking them off, he left for his chamber. Marching down the hall, he was greeted by a shadowy figure. He stopped and turned to the being he had never expected to see again, his feline bulk dwarfing the slight wraith. 

"You are summoned, Kizuato," his visitor told him, and before he could answer, the wraith melted into the shadows. A thrill of anticipation traveled up his spine as his tail twitched. _Finally, _he thought eagerly, _a call to true battle. _Hurriedly, he rushed to his quarters. As soon as he entered, he seemed to step into another reality, greeted by the bearded face of D3. He immediately dropped to one knee. 

"My lord," the big cat rumbled. D3's eyes acknowledged the deference. 

"Our Lady has need of you, Kizuato," 

"She has but to ask, my lord." 

"You are to leave this place immediately. Your destination is the specially protected zone, the third planet of the Sol System." 

"What is my assignment?" 

"Seek out the Knights of Lady Washu and Lady Tsunami. If possible, eliminate them. If not, determine the extent of their ability." D3 instructed. Kizuato nodded. 

"It shall be done, my lord," 

"Very well. May Tokimi bless you, Kizuato," D3 said, and then vanished. Kizuato was once again in his quarters, alone. A teeth-bared predator's smile spread across his face. 

He was to face righteous combat once more.

********************

Next time: The long awaited brawl between Ranma and Ryoga! What could possibly be different? And Ryoko and Ranma talk about Tenchi, while Kiyone and Kizuato make their way to earth as the Masaki home prepares for the arrival of Nabiki and Nodoka. Please look forward to it!

********************

AN: Gomen! It really wasn't supposed to take this long! I've got the larger events planned but the minutiae is exceedingly difficult to sort out. I'll try and hurry with the next one! Hopefully! And maybe tomorrow I'll fly! 


	6. No Need for a New Start___Ch.5-'Let's Ge...

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, based on the works of Takahashi Rumiko and The guy who created Tenchi Muyo

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, based on the works of Takahashi Rumiko and The guy who created Tenchi Muyo. (The OVA) The characters herein do not belong to me. I have seized them and am using them for my own nefarious purposes. BWAHAHAHA! (Sweatdrop) Sorry. 

No Need for a New Start!

A Ranma ½ / Tenchi Muyo fanfiction

Chapter Five

'Let's Get Ready to Rummmmble!'

Ranma jumped backwards, still holding his plate, as Ryoga charged toward him. The Lost Boy's fist collided heavily with the dining room table, splitting it in half. Sasami, still safely wrapped within the confines of her sister's log generated force field, squeaked with fear as shard of wood bounced harmlessly off the shield. Ranma looked over, worried, but saw she was all right. He frowned at the Lost Boy. 

"Baka! This ain't my house! Quit it, yer gonna hurt somebody!" 

Ryoga sneered at him. "Quit whining and take your punishment like a man, Ranma!" he snarled, pulling off several headbands. 

Ranma tensed. _Those can do serious damage. I gotta take this outside, and quick! _Ranma dashed toward Ryoga and jumped into a flying stamp kick into the Lost Boy's chest, the impact knocking Ryoga out the hole he had made in the house wall. Ranma followed him out the hole, still carrying his plate. Incredibly, not a single item had been dropped.

Ryoko blinked at the suddenly breezy dining room. "What the hell just happened?" she asked. 

Tenchi frowned. It wasn't exactly the same, but he was beginning to see that he and Ranma should really swap stories about this kind of thing too. He sighed. "It's a good thing Dad's left for work already," He commented. He looked over as Washu moved to follow the two combatants. 

Ayeka glanced nervously at the red headed genius as well. "Washu-sa…erhm, chan?" 

The genius looked back at Ayeka and smirked. 

"Now, now," she said, gesturing to her new age, roughly equivalent to Ayeka's own, "Washu will do fine,"

Ryoko smirked. "Yeah, calling her Washu–chan is Ranma's job." She had the satisfaction of watching her 'mother' blush darkly, but Washu refused to comment. Mihoshi simply blinked, looking back and forth.

Tenchi, sensing a tense moment, changed the subject. "Is it safe out there, Washu? And what about Ranma? Will he need help?" he asked. Washu looked relieved that she didn't have to deal with the other comment. 

"It should be," She shrugged. "Ranma's control over his power is nothing short of astonishing. And, if his little battle with Ryoko the other day is any indication," she said, smiling slyly as Ryoko frowned suddenly, "he should be able to handle this himself." 

Tenchi sighed. "Well, OK. Let's go watch," he suggested. Ryoko and Washu nodded, and the three exited through the newly created door. Ayeka frowned, but powered down her force field, and she, Sasami and Mihoshi followed. 

***

Ranma faced Ryoga on the lawn, rubbing wearily at his forehead. 

"What did I do now, Ryoga?" 

"Don't play innocent, you bastard! How could you leave Akane alone again!" 

Ranma began to scowl. "Like that's any of your business, jerk!" he snapped. Ryoga seemed unimpressed by his anger. 

"You got sick of Akane and moved on to take advantage of other women, you cad! I'm going to send you to hell!" 

Ranma flinched at the vehement accusation, even though it was a tired echo of countless others. He was very aware of the presence of the rest of the household watching the proceedings, and he didn't want his grandfather's family to get the wrong idea, but then Ryoga had to come in and mess it up like this... The memories of the stress of living in Nerima came flooding back, but this time, instead of a bone-weary depression, a tense anger filled him. 

"Shut up, baka!" he snarled as he burst into motion. He slammed into Ryoga like a freight train, fists and feet in motion, and was only slightly surprised when Ryoga turned into his charge and casually threw him over his shoulder one-handed.

"Feh. Did I hit a nerve, Ranma?" Ryoga asked as Ranma alighted on both feet and turned to face him. Ranma cursed himself for letting his anger push him into a mistake.

"Gaah! It didn't work out! Akane is free now! You should be happy I left! Why won't you leave me alone?!" Ranma grated.

"As if I could leave you alone with all these defenseless women!"

Ranma blinked at that. "Defenseless?" He echoed. His anger evaporated as images of the things the extraterrestrial women of the Masaki home could do filled his mind. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" 

Ryoga scowled even deeper. Ranma was acting differently…"Shut up, Jerk!" 

Ranma straightened. "Look, man," he began, still smirking and wiping his eyes, "You got the wrong idea again. Just--," 

What Ranma would have said was lost, as the other boy yelled and charged forward with one fist extended. Ranma smiled thinly. _He's faster than usual. Ryoga's been training again…he got this good in a week? …Excellent. _As quick as the Lost Boy moved, Ranma was much faster in blocking his thrusts, dodging and avoiding them before twisting his body around and propelling Ryoga to the ground with a spinning kick to his backside.

Ryoga recovered almost immediately, performing a one-handed arm spring, then renewed his attack as soon as his feet touched the ground. Again, Ranma's speed proved superior as he avoided the attack, spinning around again and punching Ryoga in the back of the head. Ryoga, to the amazement of the spectators, was unfazed. He merely turned, growling, and attacked again. Ranma grinned. 

"Still too slow, man!" he taunted his opponent before catching the next lunge and using it to throw Ryoga over his head so that his finger first hit the ground a couple paces beyond where he had been standing.

The familiar explosion effect of the Bakusai Tenketsu drew gasps from the Masaki family, but Ranma had expected this. He backflipped out of range, his hands blurring to catch the shrapnel. Ranma grinned suddenly and began throwing the pieces of rock back at the Lost Boy, each one hitting Ryoga square on the nose. 

"Damn you, Ranma!" Ryoga screamed and swung wildly.

"Man, don't you ever learn?" Ranma asked sarcastically, dodging.

"You want a new technique?" Ryoga roared. Ranma shrugged. 

"Well, it'd be nice," he commented mildly. "The stuff you're doing now is old hat. I could dodge it all day," 

"Shut up and FIGHT!" 

Ranma grinned toothily at Ryoga's annoyed roar. He fell into a defensive stance as The Lost Boy removed his ever-present umbrella from his pack and rushed toward him, using his improved speed to launch a barrage of thrusts. Ranma however, was as elusive as a wisp of smoke. No matter how fast Ryoga was, Ranma flowed around every strike. 

"C'mon, man," Ranma taunted, "This ain't even original! This is Kuno's technique!" Ryoga said nothing, grimly pressing his attack. Ranma continued to dodge, until the Lost Boy backed him against a tree. Changing tactics, Ranma leapt toward his attacker, reaching for his umbrella in and attempt to use the weapon to vault over Ryoga's head. 

At this point in time, two things happened. The first was that Ranma seized the umbrella to vault over Ryoga's head, burning his hand in the process. The second was that the umbrella impacted, point first, with the tree. 

The tree exploded. 

The force of the blast caught Ranma in midair and flung him several feet farther than he had intended. He landed in a heap, coughing. Ryoga turned around, grinning nastily. 

"Bakusai Tenketsu Revised: Kasa Yakedo Bakuhatsu," he said simply. 

Ranma grinned as he picked himself up off the ground, spitting out dust. "Burning Umbrella Explosion? 'Sa little longwinded, dontcha think?" 

"I'll name it after you then, when I kill you with it," Ryoga affirmed grimly, beginning to smile darkly. 

Ranma's grin widened.

"Never happen, Porky," he fired back. 

Ryoga didn't reply with words. 

Ranma dodged Ryoga's renewed attacks swiftly, careful not to let the burning weapon contact his skin. Now that he knew what to look for Ryoga's new technique was painfully simple. He was simply charging this umbrella with hot ki and expelling the ki into the breaking points of the objects he struck. While this technique was marginally more dangerous than the original, as it worked on more than just stone, it would still have no serious effect on the human body. But still, if he got too close to one of those explosions…

He shook off the thought as he began searching for a counter. He considered the Hiryu Shouten Ha, but found it likely that Ryoga would simply release his weapon. He discarded that line of attack, but began summoning cold ki anyway, as a defense against the burning heat of the umbrella. 

Ranma thought carefully as he evaded the attacks. While the Hiryu Shouten Ha would be too much effort for too little return, he needed to divest his opponent of his weapon to have a chance to counterattack. After he had discarded several possibilities, a thought struck him. 

Earlier in the day, as Washu was scanning him for her search for a cure, She had brought up his battle with Ryoko. Ranma was surprised to find out that she was nearly as knowledgeable about the mechanics of hand to hand combat as he was. She'd asked questions about all his attacks, but had seemed most interested in the Hiryu Shouten Ha.

__

"How do you shape the bio-energy into the dragon?" She'd asked. 

"Huh? Bio-energy?" he asked, puzzled. 

"Sorry. The Ki." She amended. 

Ranma shrugged. "Oh. Well, I just visualize the shape in my head, and let the Ki flow out through my fist, and it sort of happens," he explained. 

"So you could make it look like anything you wanted?" she suggested. 

"I guess so," he agreed. "I just do it that way 'cuz that's how I was taught to do it." 

"Your teacher taught you to shape it into a dragon?"

Ranma grinned. "Not really. I just saw it that way, I guess. It IS called the 'Dragon Ascension Strike'," he explained. 

Washu smiled. "Makes sense. So, you use your hands to shape it, hmm? Interesting," 

"Why's that?" he'd asked curiously. 

"Well, The technique is similar to how Ryoko and I make our swords, though not quite on the same scale," Washu explained. 

Ranma blinked. "You can do that too?" 

"Sure. All it is," she said, "Is using will to shape internal energy." Quickly, she demonstrated. 

Ranma examined the gleaming shaft of energy interestedly. "Wow," he murmured. The possibilities of a self created weapon were pretty staggering…

Ranma grinned as he brought his full attention back to the fight. _I got no idea if this'll work, _he thought, _But the look on Ryoga's face should be priceless if I can pull this off…_

He backflipped away from Ryoga to gain some room and began summoning ki to his right hand. The Lost Boy charged, looking to press his advantage, and pulled his umbrella back to strike. Ranma closed his eyes and visualized a sword in his hand, then curled his hand around the ball of ki. A peculiar snapping sound issued forth, and Ranma met Ryoga's charge, aiming for the weapon that was rapidly closing. The two boys clashed with a flash of light.

Ranma grinned to himself, and turned around. Ryoga stood there, gaping at the charred wooden handle in his hand. A moment later, the rest of Ryoga's weighted umbrella fell to the ground with a resounding thump. 

"What the hell was that, Ranma!" the Lost Boy yelled. 

"Pretty damn cool, that's what it was." The pigtailed boy grinned, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "Whatd'ya think? I was gonna call it just 'Moko Ha' but since you made up a long name for yours, maybe…I dunno? Moko Tengoku Ha? Pretty cool, huh?" Ranma gestured to the sizzling azure ki sword in his hand. Unexpectedly, it suddenly disappeared with an audible pop. 

Ranma sweatdropped. "Oops." He mumbled. "Kinda hard to keep up, though," He didn't have time to dwell on what he'd done wrong as Ryoga charged again. 

Tenchi looked away from the fight as he heard strangled noises from his left. Ryoko was gaping in Ranma's direction, an incredulous expression on her face. 

"He can...do that...?"

"Hmm. He figured that out a lot more quickly than I thought he would," Washu mused with a VERY interested smile on her face. "He's a very quick study. I think he's much more than he seems, at least in terms of intelligence." 

Ryoko whirled around. "You TOLD him how to do that?" 

Washu looked at her and shrugged. "Mmhmm." she affirmed. "What's the matter, Ryoko-chan? Don't like having your act stolen?" 

"I think I have the grounds for some sort of lawsuit here," Ryoko huffed. Washu chuckled, then looked over at Tenchi. The young prince of Jurai was watching the fight with intense interest. 

"What's up, Tenchi?" she inquired. 

"I wonder if I could get him to teach me some of that?" Tenchi mused, both to himself, and in answer to the redheaded scientist's question. 

"I don't think you'd have any trouble there," Washu smirked. "He's a natural teacher. He has a gift for explaining things in easily understood ways, and he's very…talented," 

"I hope so," Tenchi replied. Suddenly, their attention was drawn by Sasami's alarmed gasp. Tenchi, Washu and Ryoko turned to look, and Ranma's opponent was lifting a large boulder into the air. With a growl of rage, he hurled it at Ranma. A large lump formed in Washu's throat. In short order two more boulders quickly joined the first, speeding directly toward Ranma, and behind him, the Masaki home…

Ranma couldn't believe his eyes. Unlike the weary anger he had felt before, a raging furnace began to burn in his gut. 

"BAKA! There are people here!" Ranma yelled. He stood his ground and began summoning ki for a blast, but realized he couldn't hit all three in time. Suddenly, inspiration struck. Instead of pushing the ki away into a blast, he slammed both hands down on it. "Moko Takabisha revised! MOKO SHINIGAMI!"

A coruscating arc of blue ki fanned out from his hands and slammed into the boulders, detonating them in a shower of tiny pebbles. Ryoga gaped as his projectiles showered down on him. 

"Wh-!" was all he managed as in the blink of an eye, Ranma was upon him. Ranma, for his part, had nearly seen the disaster with Nabiki repeated, and he was NOT happy. 

"Baka!" he snarled again, his fist blurring as he struck Ryoga in the gut in the modified Amiguriken he'd devised especially for the Lost Boy. Ryoga flew backward and into a tree. Ranma stalked after him. "I don't mind fighting you, man." Ranma ground out, "But it's between you an' me. You leave my family out a' this, or you an' me are gonna have a serious problem," 

"Feh." Ryoga sneered, "You talk big, Ranma, but you're a coward at heart."

Ranma struggled to contain his temper. Why was Ryoga being such a jerk? He'd thought that they'd come to an understanding of sorts at Jusendo, but his relationship with the Lost Boy had deteriorated to a point worse than before, much as the situation with Akane had. A flash of sadness passed over him. _Maybe that's just how my life will be, _he thought bleakly. _I'll never have any real friends, just temporary allies. Everybody I've ever been a friend with has turned against me, or just plain used me for what they wanted. _Ranma forced the thought out of his mind. 

"C'mere, jerk," Ranma snarled, assuming a serious combat stance, and beckoning with one hand. "I'll show ya how much of a coward I am." 

Ryoga smiled nastily. "Get ready to die," the Lost Boy asserted calmly. 

"Better men than you have tried, pig. Less talk, more fight," was Ranma's icy reply, cracking Ryoga's calm expression.

"I'm gonna rip your stupid head off!" he roared, charging.

The two young met in a flurry of blows that had been bled of all semblance of comradeship. 

Tenchi and the others observed in dismay, catching every word. Mihoshi wore a teary expression, as the emotional drama of the fight was unmistakable. Ayeka and Sasami were not as upset as Mihoshi looked to be, but clearly concerned for the pig-tailed free spirit that had made such an impact on their household in such a short time. Ryoko was less emotional too, but still frowning at the spectacle. 

Washu was watching the battle, biting her lower lip in worry. She knew Ranma would win the fight. That seemed certain, as his opponent was strong, but not as powerful as Ranma, or anywhere near as controlled. She winced as Ranma landed a hammer blow combination that looked amazingly painful. She simply hadn't considered the emotional impact. Though Ranma was landing dozens of hits, he looked as though the other boy was beating him up. This was a different side of the happy go lucky young man who had arrived at the shrine, and it put the letter from his mother into perspective. Her thoughts were interrupted as she sensed a presence behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Yosho standing there. Tenchi turned to look too, and recoiled in surprise. 

"Grampa!" he blurted. 

"How long have you been there, Lord Katsuhito?" Washu inquired, raising an upswept eyebrow. 

"Long enough," Yosho said calmly, a hint of steel in his voice as he stared grimly at the two combatants. "That's an interesting look, Washu-san,"

Washu's head whipped around completely. She stared at the elderly priest, and grimaced. _How is it that I'm far, far older than he is, and he still manages to make me as though he can see right through me? _She wondered. She looked away just in time to see Ranma hammer his opponent to the ground with a descending stamp kick. Ranma was about to strike again, and then he looked down at the other boy as he struggled to get to his feet after Ranma's relentless barrage. Washu's heart nearly broke as she saw the pain in his expression. With a grimace, Ranma made an astounding leap, vanishing into the trees. 

Ryoga finally managed to get to his feet, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. "Curse you, Ranma!" he rasped. "I'll kill you!" 

"No," Yosho's voice rang out in the now still air, "You will not." The ancient priest moved away from the house and the startled looks of the rest of the spectators to stand a few paces away from the Lost Boy. 

"Who are you?" Ryoga snarled angrily. 

"I am Katsuhito Masaki, priest of the Masaki Shrine, and Ranma's grandfather." 

Ryoga stance softened a little, as even he had trouble screaming at a priest. Still, he protested. "You don't understand! He's cost me both the women I love! I've seen hell, and-," Yosho cut him off with a look. 

"I do understand, young man," said the priest calmly, with an undercurrent of disdain. "You came to shrine lands with intent to kill. You are not welcome on these grounds. Leave now, and do not return." 

"But-!" Ryoga's protest died in his throat as he noticed that others had joined the older man, mostly girls, and they were all giving him dirty looks. He couldn't figure out why they were taking Ranma's side. Everything was Ranma's fault! Even Akane always said so! "Aargh! Ranma! I'll never forgive you for this!" he shouted, and ran off into the forest, in the general direction of Kyoto. The assembled Masaki household collectively sweatdropped. 

"Jeez, what a weirdo," Ryoko muttered. 

Ayeka nodded. "Indeed, He was the rudest person! I hope Lord Ranma is all right," Ayeka commented. Ryoko and Ayeka blinked and looked at each other. They were about to remark on the strangeness of agreeing with each other when Mihoshi interrupted them.

"WAAAAAH! That was sooo sad!" she bawled. 

Sasami smiled a bit and patted her taller friend on the back. 

"It's ok, Mihoshi, it's over now," she soothed. Tenchi looked worried. 

"Shouldn't we go find Ranma, Grampa?" he asked. 

"It's all right, Tenchi, it's been taken care of," Yosho replied. 

Tenchi blinked, and looked around. 

"Huh?"

"He's right, Tenchi. Let's go back inside," smiled Ryoko, tugging on his arm. She, too, had noticed that Washu hadn't stuck around for long. She gently led the confused boy back to the house, grinning to herself. 

__

As long as it's not Tenchi, anybody she likes is ok by me. Besides, he's actually an OK guy, and bugging her about this could be good for a few laughs. Heh. Should be interesting, anyway. 

***

Elsewhere...

Captain Darkash stared intently at the screen as the search for the distress call continued. He clutched the armrests of his command chair as the _Indomitable _continued through the debris field, shuddering under the impact of another large piece of junk. 

"What's the condition of the armor?" he asked tactical. 

The broad shouldered ensign looked briefly at his instruments. "Still holding, sir. However, if we plan to be here much longer, it won't hold up forever," 

Darkash nodded. He toggled the comm. switch on his armrest. "Bridge to hangar deck,"

"Hangar Deck, Commander Starlyghter."

"How are the mechanics coming with your fighters, Tel?" he asked. 

"Well, most are still pretty banged up from the patrol battles, but we have three or four at full strength, sir," came the reply. 

"Good. Scramble three of them and send them to ahead of the ship. We're having trouble here, and we'd like to clear the road a little. Tell them to use the bigger chunks for target practice," 

"Acknowledged. Hangar deck out," 

Darkash leaned back in his chair, watching the viewscreen. After a few moments, three sleek fighters burst out of the underbelly of the ship, firing their blaster cannons at debris. Almost immediately, the impacts on the ship lessened. Darkash allowed himself a tight smile. 

__

Now that that's out of the way, he thought, a little smugly, _Where are you, Detective Makabi? _

His question was answered several hours later by an exclamation from his tactical officer. 

"Sir! The signal is coming from this area!" The young man said sharply. "Triangulating location…There! Two hundred meters to our stern!" 

Darkash nodded once. "Right. Pass on the location to the nearest fighter, and tell him to use his grapple to bring her pod, or ship in," he ordered. 

"Aye, sir." 

"Then recall the other fighters and get us the hell out of this junkyard," Darkash said sourly. 

"Aye, AYE, sir," responded the helm officer with a grin. Darkash couldn't help but smirk. 

Moments later, the call came in. 

"Infirmary to bridge." 

Darkash punched the comm. button.

"Bridge," he said shortly. 

"We've got her, Captain. Just in time, too. The stasis pod she was in was on its last legs. The pilot who brought her in had to carry her most of the way. There's no telling how long she's been out there." 

Darkash frowned. A stasis pod was designed to last at least a year. It was a staggering amount of luck that they had received her call in time to do any good. 

"What's her condition?"

"Not too bad, considering. A little anemic, and getting dehydrdrated, but she'll be back on her feet in a couple of hours. She must have been in excellent shape," The Doctor speculated lightly. 

Darkash nodded to himself. That fit with the Galaxy Police's reputation. It was time to put in a call to the unfortunate woman's superiors. 

***

"WHO???" Darkash winced at the astonished tone of the middle-aged Chief Inspector. 

"I told you," Darkash replied patiently, "Her name's Kiyone Makabi. The distress call said she was an operative of yours. You know her?" He stared at the Chief Inspector. A perfectly ordinary middle-aged man, if you discounted the elfin points on his ears. And the flummoxed expression he was currently wearing. 

"She…but…Mihoshi…KIA…" 

Darkash paled. 

"Mihoshi…That would be Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu?" he asked, dreading the answer. 

The GP officer snapped out of his stuttering, a curious expression on his wide face. "Yes…"

"Jeez," Darkash murmured. "No wonder she was in such sore straits. That twit…" 

"Oh," The GP man nodded. "You've met her, then," 

"You might say that," Darkash mumbled, thinking about a diplomatic incident when he had been the first officer of a frigate, involving a visiting dignitary, Mihoshi (Who had been part of an accompanying GP security detail) four gallons of Antelian Ale and a rather strange looking Felinoid. "Anyway, what about her?" 

"She was detective Makabi's partner," the heavyset officer confided. "About ten months ago, she, Kiyone and a few VIP civilians encountered a mad scientist while on the trail of a kidnapped police inspector from one of the local systems. Mihoshi's report on the incident seems a little far fetched, but it did state that Officer Makabi disappeared while attempting to stop some sort of doomsday device. We'd always assumed she'd gotten that right," 

Darkash wisely refrained from offering his opinion. 

"Well, she's alive, and we've got her," he said easily. "What arrangements would you like to make for her retrieval?" 

"Hmm." The GP officer looked at his display a moment, tapped something into it, and looked up. "The _Okisugiru _is in the area," He offered. I've sent them orders to meet with you to retrieve her," 

Darkash nodded. 

"That should be fine. Tell them to come in with their ID beacon on, too," he added placidly. 

The GP Officer blinked. "Why would you need…?" 

"Do you really have to ask?" 

"That was a long time ago, Captain!" the officer protested. "Surely the Coalition isn't still…" 

"No," Darkash interjected, "But I am. A friend of mine was in command of the freighter your cruiser destroyed. I know it was 'officially' an accident, but I have my doubts about the competence of some of your officers. I am doing you a favor here, so just humor me, OK?" he said, just a bit more forcefully than he had intended. The GP officer stared a moment, indignation warring with understanding on his face. 

"Very well, Captain. I'll relay your request. The _Okisugiru _will be in your area in about twelve hours," he said stiffly, after a moment. 

Darkash inclined his head. "Thank you very much," he said politely. "We'll be waiting. _Indomitable _out," 

With those words, his screen went black. 

Kiyone Makabi awoke with a groan, wondering what happened. She remembered the explosion, and being stranded. She'd been lucky to find the stasis pod but it didn't seem like she was in it any more. She opened her eyes slightly, and gasped at the sudden brightness. She sat up weakly. 

"Wha-?" she croaked. _Where the heck am I? On second thought, who cares! I was rescued! _

Her sudden motion drew the attention of a young woman at her side. 

"Doctor! She's awake!" 

"Already?" came a gruff voice. Kiyone blinked slowly and felt her eyes adjust to the light. She found herself staring into the face of a young blonde woman. She sat bolt upright in the bed, weakness forgotten.

"AAGH! MIHOSHI?!"

The young woman backed away, a startled expression on her face. Kiyone slumped in relief as she realized that she was not, in fact, her old partner. She blinked tiredly as a grandfatherly man approached her bedside.

"Who-?" she rasped. The older man smiled gently. 

"Easy does it, Ma'am," he drawled. "You've been cooped up for quite awhile. Would you like some water?" 

Kiyone nodded. He picked up a glass from a nearby table, but before he could assist her, she took the glass from him. Slowly, she brought it to her lips and sipped delicately, shuddering with pleasure as the cool liquid trickled down her throat. She fought the temptation to guzzle the rest of it. There would be time enough for that later, she hoped. 

"Thank you," She said, smiling a little as her voice sounded with more vigor this time. The doctor nodded, smiling, and took the glass and put it on the table beside her. "Where am I?" 

The doctor looked at her calmly. "On our ship, the COP _Indomitable,_" he supplied. "We caught your distress signal and detoured to find you." 

Kiyone's eyes grew wide. "The COP?" 

"Easy now. You aren't a prisoner or anything. Relations have been a little strained, but so far, everything's worked out. The Captain's making arrangements for your return even as we speak." 

Kiyone relaxed a little, slumping a little. 

"Right. Well, that's good, I guess…" The doctor grinned easily at her relief. 

"But you have trouble believing it's going to be that easy?" he asked. Kiyone shot him a look, then nodded. "I wouldn't worry. I think the Captain wants to use this." 

Kiyone frowned. 

"How so?" she asked. 

"Well, He's the type to rush in, 'where angels fear to tread', if you know what I mean," the doctor explained. "But he's smart enough to know that he's not always going to be able to salvage a situation by himself. So he always makes sure he has a few…favors to call in," 

Kiyone blinked, then frowned. 

"Well, there's a surprise." She grimaced. "But, it's better than being a prisoner. I can live with that, I guess." she admitted. 

"I thought you might be able to. Now," he said, gently pushing her chest, "Get some rest. You've got a lot of lost nutrients to recover." 

Kiyone opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it as it turned into a huge yawn. 

"'Kay," she murmured. She settled back on the mattress and closed her eyes. She heard the doctor walk away, and she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

***

Nabiki scratched at the bandage on her head absently as she stared out the train window, not really seeing the scenery as they sped past on their way to Nodoka's father's shrine. 

"Nabiki-chan?"

Nabiki turned to look at her seatmate. Nodoka was looking at her with concern. 

"Yes, Auntie?" she replied.

"Are you all right? I know this can't be easy for you..." Nabiki smiled. She liked the Saotome matriarch. It wasn't easy to be a traditional woman and still be as...authoritative as she was. That alone merited respect. And, on top of that, on any subject that didn't involve her husband, she was pleasant and warm. Nabiki speculated absently that maybe this was where Ranma's fabled charm came from. 

"It's all right, Auntie. Father and Mister Saotome are up to something, and I don't like it. Somebody's got to bail Ranma out when they get him in over his head, ne?" 

Nodoka smiled ruefully. 

"There's something to what you say, Nabiki-chan. I...Dearest does dissapoint me sometimes," she admitted. 

Nabiki blinked, then shifted uncomfortably. 

"Um, Gomen, Auntie. I didn't mean to bring up..." 

"Oh, no. I'm sorry, dear. It wasn't you. I've been thinking about it ever since I sent Ranma to see my father. He opposed my marriage to Genma." Nodoka smiled. Nabiki bit down on the impulse to comment, but Nodoka smiled at the expression in her face. "Go ahead, you can say it," she invited. 

Nabiki looked dubious, but said the first thing that sprung to mind anyway. 

"Smart man." 

Nodoka's laughter resonated in the small seating compartment. 

"Yes he was. I can look back on it now, and admit that. Love does make fools of us all, I suppose," she confided, still smiling. "Dearest has given me some of the best moments in life, not to mention my son, but also some of the biggest heartaches." Her smile at this point became rather sad. 

Nabiki frowned. "I'm sorry," she said, uneasily. Nodoka nodded. 

"Thank you. I'm sorry, too, Nabiki-chan. I hadn't meant to burden you with that..." The older woman looked down at her hands, folded in her lap.

On impulse, Nabiki put her hand on top of Nodoka's. 

"It's Ok, Auntie. After not seeing your son for years, it's to be expected, I think," Nabiki never changed her expression, but inwardly she wondered. _What the hell? I never would have done this before...How much have I changed just by living with Ranma? _

Nodoka nodded. Seemingly sensing Nabiki's discomfort, She withdrew her hand and looked out the window a moment. 

"Thank you," she said quietly. Nabiki nodded. After a longer pause, Nabiki changed the subject. 

"So...what's this shrine like?" she asked. 

Nodoka looked up, smiling a little. 

"It's in one of the more scenic areas of Okayama," She informed Nabiki, looking wistful. "When we were young, my sister and I spent many hours playing in the forests nearby." 

"Sister?" Nabiki asked, surprised. 

"Yes," Nodoka affirmed. "My older sister, Achika. She...passed away some time ago." 

Nabiki winced. 

"Sorry," she said again.

"That's all right, Nabiki-chan. It doesn't pain me as much any more," Nodoka smiled easily. 

Nabiki nodded. "If you don't mind, Auntie…what was your family like?" 

Nodoka's smile grew wider as memories of happier times began to return to her. She took a deep breath and began to speak. 

"My father was a very wise and kind man. I remember once Achika and I..."

Nabiki smiled as Nodoka warmed to her tale. The time on the train seemed to pass much more quickly as the older woman became more animated as she told stories of a happier time in her life. 

***

Ranma grimaced as he leaned against a tree. Despondency filled him as he looked up to the sky. It was hard to fight the sense of betrayal he felt. He and Ryoga had never been close friends, but he had always thought that they had been friendly rivals, or...something. He definitely hadn't expected the treatment he had received, but on second thought, the way things had been going after they returned from China, he supposed he really shouldn't have been surprised. 

He shook his head wearily. Maybe it was all some sort of cosmic joke. He'd done something wrong somehow, and wasn't allowed to have friends for some reason. Everyone he tried to make friends with ended up hating him. Maybe it had been stupid to think he could start over here. They couldn't be happy with him about that hole Ryoga made in the wall. They'd probably ask him to leave after this. He bit down hard on the tears that threatened to emerge. _Men don't cry! _He chanted to himself over and over again. He had just gained control when he heard a tentative voice to his left. 

"Ranma?" 

He blinked and looked. Standing near a tree, Washu was watching him with concern. She walked up to him carefully, as he rubbed one eye. "Are you all right?" 

Ranma blinked. "H-Hai," He said lamely. A set of concerned emerald eyes locked with his blue ones. Ranma stared into her questioning eyes for a long moment. "No," he admitted. 

Washu smiled softly. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. 

Ranma sighed. 

"It's nothin'," he murmured, his tone stating otherwise. 

Washu simply waited, and she wasn't disappointed.

***

Next time: (Washu Voiceover) Ranma and I are growing more comfortable with each other, and the Masaki residents have found out exactly what Ranma's life used to be like. What new problems do the arrival of Nabiki herald, and what are our villains up to? Next time, on NO NEED FOR A NEW START!

#####

AN: Ooh Boy. Two months. It would have been longer but someone convinced me this chapter was long enough where I cut it off. I didn't really get much done this chapter, I realize, but I'll do better next time, I swear! 

BTW, I'm working from the Mihoshi special OVA ep. to write the Kiyone sub-plot. Any questions are best answered by viewing it. Let me know if I made any mistakes. 

Now, It's time for thanks. First of all, thanks again to Thermopyle for meticulously pre-reading. He is the reason my quality has improved drastically. The mistakes are still my fault though. Also, thanks to all you who reviewed repeatedly, asking for more. You guys were the motivation I needed to keep going. THANKS!

One Last thing: Moko Tengoku Ha-Heavenly tiger blade. 

Moko Shinigami-Tiger Death Scythe. Whoops! Actually, it's Tiger Lord of Death (I know it doesn't make much sense. I just like the name!){Thank you to the people who pointed out the mistake} 

07/18/01-Translation errors revised. Changed the name of Ryoga's new special technique. I'm using an old Japanese/English dictionary, so don't keep quiet if I screw up. Which I will. Repeatedly. 


	7. No Need for a New Start___Ch. 6- Horsing...

**Author's note: Spoilers for the first TM Manga storyline! **

Disclaimer: Anime...the final frontier. These are the characters of the Manga Queen Rumiko Takahashi (And the guy who created Tenchi) Their continuing mission...To act out a story I have written...

Whoops! Sorry about that! Lost my mind for a second. But that's OK for me, because I am a WILD AND CRAAAAZY GUY! 

A Ranma ½ / Tenchi Muyo fanfiction

No Need For A New Start!

Chapter Six: Horsing Around

Kizuato looked out at the passing starscape with a muted hiss of frustration. The shuttle he'd stolen was a recent model, one of the very fastest. However, to the impatient Felinoid, it felt as though he could be making better time by getting out and running alongside the ship. He bared his fangs in a warrior's grin. It had been a long time since he had tasted true combat, which was the likely source of his irritation. No matter how quickly he arrived, it was likely not to be soon enough. 

With a few controlled taps of his enormous paw-like hand, Kizuato set the shuttle on autopilot. Perhaps the trip would pass more quickly if he occupied his mind with other things. Easing his enormous bulk from the cockpit and headed into the small cargo bay. He stepped over the body of the pilot he'd killed and sniffed as he did so, looking down. A wrinkle of distaste crossed his muzzle. Perhaps it was time he disposed of the remains. The body was fairly odious at this time, especially by the standards of his sensitive nose. 

Gingerly, he picked up the body, being careful to keep his fur clear of any fluids that had not congealed by now, and carried it to the airlock. Not even stopping to glance at the face of the casually slaughtered pilot, he tossed the corpse into the airlock and sealed the hatch. He turned away as the muted swoosh from the other side of the door signified the ejection of the unwanted waste. The giant catlike being continued on into the recesses of the ship, intent on beginning meditation in preparation for the upcoming battle...

***

Ranma sighed, looking up at the forest canopy high overhead. 

"Sorry," He mumbled.

"What for?" 

The response from his companion seemed to take him by surprise. He turned to look at Washu. He smiled ruefully at the surprised look on her face. 

"Heh. I'm sure ya got better things to do than listen ta me talk about stuff like this," he replied. 

Washu smiled back. There was an oddly comforting quality, Ranma decided, in her eyes. At least when she was being serious, like she was now. 

"It's not a problem." she assured him, "Don't be silly,"

Ranma nodded, and returned his gaze to the trees overhead.

"I feel kinda stupid," he admitted, "getting all worked up about that. It's just...I dunno. Ryoga's never been the type to talk things out, but I really thought he was my friend."

"It's not stupid, Ranma. He wasn't making any sense. It's his fault, not yours."

Ranma blinked and returned his eyes to Washu. At that moment, a stray beam of sunshine streaked through the trees to illuminate her. As her hair shone in the sunlight, Ranma's breath caught. _She's...really pretty._

Blushing, he looked at the ground. "I dunno." He said after a moment. "Ryoga...He might have a point. I'm kind of a trouble magnet. Whenever I get involved in something, it tends to get messy..."

Washu smiled impishly. "We have something in common, then!"

Ranma frowned. 

Washu rolled her eyes at this. "Ranma...Seriously, you have to learn to look at all this with a sense of humor. Doesn't any of it strike you as sort of funny? Like the expression on his face when you wrecked his umbrella?"

Ranma smiled grudgingly at that, remembering Ryoga's dumbfounded look. "Yeah, that was kinda funny..."

"There you go!" said Washu delightedly. "Exactly! I know it wasn't fun to go through that, but the problem was on his end, not yours. You have to look at the funny things, otherwise you'll go nuts."

Ranma frowned. "How do you know the problem was on his end?"

Washu shrugged. "He mentioned that you'd cost him two women he cared about. It sounded like he was depressed, and wanted to take it out on someone. The fact that he found you was just a fluke."

Ranma grew thoughtful. "Jeez. If that baka blew it with Akari...well, maybe. Why are all of my friends like that, though? Everyone wants something from me! Take the blame, or marry them, or get beat up! Why does this always happen to me?!" he grumbled, frustration creeping into his voice.

"Ranma..."

"Maybe it's my curse. Everything bad seems to have happened after that. No, wait, Oyaji was sellin' me off before that...I guess I'm just a freak..." 

Washu laughed quietly. "Ranma, why are you so convinced that there's something about you that makes you more freakish than me? Or my daughter, a two thousand-year-old space pirate? Or your cousin, the newly discovered heir to the throne of an interstellar empire?" 

Ranma grinned ruefully. "Heh. Gotta stop feelin' sorry for myself," he acknowledged. "It's just..."

"What is it?"

"My fiancée." Ranma said quietly. "I keep comin' back to Akane. I think...I loved her, before. I dunno. I mean, the damn panda engaged us, it wasn't my idea. Still, I eventually sort of warmed up to the idea, ya know? I mean, I even killed a god to save her life! But it wasn't enough. Nothing changed, and after awhile, I didn't feel the same way I did before, but I can't shake the feeling that it was my fault. I don't know what I did wrong. I did so much, and she still didn't...I just keep coming back to what might have been. And it kinda hurts." he admitted. He paused, and for a long moment there was silence. 

Washu drew in a sharp breath. 

"I was married before, you know." she said.

Ranma stared. He wanted to say something, but his mouth had seemed to stop working...

"I met him while I was at the Science Academy - that's a school where I taught for awhile. We were so in love...I was really happy." Washu paused for a moment, smiling, as her eyes began to shine with unshed tears. "It got even better. We had a baby together; a little boy...I honestly didn't think life could get better. But then, my husband, he was from a rich family. His family didn't approve of me. I was 'beneath' his social standing. I had...'inadequate ancestry'. Eventually, his family got their way. My husband, and my baby, were taken from me."

Ranma's eyes widened. "Aw, no," he breathed in disbelief. Washu nodded, looking briefly at him, and for the first time, Ranma saw the torment in Washu's verdant gaze before she looked down at her feet.

"Yes," she said quietly. "That was why I used my young body most of all. Ancestry…lineage. Adults are cruel. I would rather live as a child than experience something like that again."

"But...That's not right! How could they DO that!" Ranma was outraged, forgetting his own depression for the moment. 

Washu looked up, smiling wanly.

"You are something special, Ranma-kun. But, you're right. It was cruel to punish me for something that wasn't my fault. But you're punishing yourself for something that isn't your fault either. I know it hurts, sometimes so badly you can hardly stand it," Washu said softly, "but it isn't your fault." 

"Everyone always says it is," he returned sourly.

"I don't." 

"Um. Yeah, but...You know what I mean." 

Washu nodded as she blinked away the unshed tears. "Yes, but think about this. A long time ago, everyone used to say the earth was flat. Did that make them right?"

"I guess not." 

"You don't sound convinced," Washu noted, smiling slightly.

"I've lived the past two years bein' blamed for everything right down ta my pop's athlete's foot." Ranma sighed. "It never bothered me before. I dunno what's wrong with me."

Washu shook her head. "Nothing is 'wrong' with YOU, Ranma. It's what's wrong with them that's the question. No one should have to be put through that. It won't happen here, Ranma. Give us a chance. Ryoko used to be a space pirate, and no one blames her for all the bad things that happen here." 

Ranma grinned shyly. "I know. It's just...this is a little new to me, y' know? Everyone's been great, and I'm sorta waiting for the other shoe ta drop."

"Ranma...unless you learn to relax, you'll ALWAYS be waiting for the other shoe to drop." Washu chided him gently. "It's just not worth it. You can't take responsibility for everything that happens. If people tell you otherwise, ignore them. They're wrong--it's impossible for any one person to be responsible for everything around them."

Ranma sat silent at that, considering.

"Does that make you feel better?" Washu asked tentatively, after a moment.

Ranma turned to Washu and gave her a small smile. "Yeah." he said uncertainly at first, but gaining confidence. "Yeah it does. Thanks, Washu," 

"You're welcome. I'm glad it helped," Washu said quietly, brushing absently at her wild red hair. 

"Yeah, it did." Ranma admitted. "Nobody ever listened to me before," he confessed. 

"How could you stand living like that?"

"Wasn't really all that bad," He responded. "Whenever I felt really down, I'd sit on the roof of the dojo an' watch the stars. It always made me feel better." 

Washu smiled at this.

"You can still do that here," she suggested. "And maybe we could do it together, hmm?" 

Ranma blinked at the suggestion. Her tone was...suggestive, but she was grinning. Teasing him. The realization lifted the remains of his moodiness. He laughed. 

"No funny stuff, though," he warned, still smiling. 

"Oh, pooh. You're no fun." Washu mock-pouted.

Ranma grinned. "Thanks, Washu-chan. I do feel better." 

Washu blushed at the unexpected endearment. "You're welcome, Ranma-kun. Happy to help," she murmured, looking away. Ranma blinked in confusion. He was getting better, but guessing what girls were thinking was still way out of his league. He remembered that Akane never met his gaze when she was upset with him, though. Had he done something wrong?

Washu looked up at Ranma's nervous glance.

"What's the matter?" she asked curiously.

Ranma chuckled sheepishly, scratching at the base of his pigtail. 

"Ah...Heh. Gomen. I'm still kind of an idiot about people, ya know? I say stuff before I really think, and I'm never sure when I've stuck my foot in my mouth. I thought...Gomen," he finished, lamely. 

Washu nodded lightly, smiling. "That's fine, Ranma. Don't worry. I'm not upset." 

"Ah...right. So you're not mad or nothing?"

Washu nodded. "Not at all," she assured him, and suddenly an impish look crossing her features. "In fact, quite the opposite," she leered, a positively hungry look appearing on her face. 

Ranma's brain went into panic mode instantly. He let out a startled 'eep' and made warding motions with his hands. How had this happened again? He wasn't prepared to deal with this! A small voice in the back of his head piped up that Washu's sentiments were obviously not one sided, judging by 'other' physical reactions, but it was ignored in favor of full-scale panic. 

Washu blinked in surprise, then cursed to herself. His father was really going to get his someday, she vowed silently. She quickly held up her hands in calming gestures. 

"Ranma, relax! I'm sorry," she said quickly. Ranma stopped panicking for a moment, but stayed ready to bolt at a moment's notice. 

"Eh?" he said intelligently. 

Washu smiled soothingly. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I was just teasing." 

"So, just kidding?" he asked, relaxing marginally.

Washu regarded him a moment, wondering how to phrase her reply. She didn't want to scare him away, but she had no tolerance for the sort of awkward 'what is he thinking?' two-step of sexual tension that seemed to pervade the relationship between Ryoko, Ayeka and Tenchi. She decided to be as straightforward as she could and hope for the best. 

"No." she replied, biting her lip pensively. Ranma tensed, but he didn't bolt. 

"Uh...what do you mean?" he asked tentatively. 

Washu grinned slightly, encouraged. 

"Ranma...I know you're used to people wanting things from you. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in you THAT way." 

Washu noted that Ranma's apparent stress level was rising rapidly. "It might seem like the same thing, but it's not. I like you." She said quickly, blushing, a little embarrassed at the confession. "I haven't 'liked' anyone in a long time...I know it's hard for you, so I can wait. But, maybe...?" Washu trailed off, looking at him hopefully.

Ranma took in the statement calmly. His first inclination was to shy away from anything related to girls. He just didn't know how to handle them. Akane was a perfect example. Maybe Washu was right, it wasn't his fault...entirely. Still...

On the other hand, Washu was a little different than the fiancées he'd left behind. She was as straightforward as they were, but she hadn't demanded a wedding. All she was asking for was a chance. Really, he reflected, what was wrong with that? It would be nice to have someone like Washu to talk to. Plus, he couldn't deny that being around her gave him a peculiar, warm feeling inside. He nodded to himself._ This is too confusing. I mean, she's real pretty and all, but why would she want me? Gah! This is getting' complicated. Still, she's been real nice. She wouldn't be like that if she was just after getting' married, would she? I gotta say something though... _

"Um, I guess. Dunno why you'd pick me, though." he said guardedly. If there was any doubt that this was a good decision, it was completely washed away by the sunny smile on Washu's face. The redheaded scientist suddenly hugged him. 

"Thank you, Ranma. It means a lot to me." 

"Um...You're welcome?" Ranma said tentatively as he blushed a little from the hug, but it wasn't an "I've got you now" glomp, it was a warm and honest token of affection. _Huh. Different. I could get used ta this,_ he thought, returning the gesture timidly. Ranma looked up, distracted, as he heard an energetic yell echo through the trees. 

"What's that?" 

Washu looked ever so slightly disappointed as they parted. "I imagine Tenchi-dono is getting more lessons," she said, grinning a little. 

"Oh, yeah? I didn't really get to see 'em fight the other day. How good is Tenchi?" Ranma asked, interested. 

Washu shrugged. "I'm not sure. Let's go watch them," she suggested. 

"Sure," Ranma nodded, standing up. Washu did the same, and they headed off in the direction of the sounds of fighting.

***

The air in the small wooded clearing resounded with numerous impacts of wood on wood, finally ending with a resounding thump and a muffled groan. If one were to look closer, the noise appeared to be coming from one of two men. The first was an older gentleman, clothed in the robes of a Kenjutsu sensei. He was silently observing the other a much younger man, clad in a simple but serviceable tunic and trousers, who was currently facedown on the ground. The older man, Yosho, grinned. 

"You're not concentrating, Tenchi," He chided. 

Tenchi pulled his face up from the ground with a grimace. 

"How can Ranma make this kind of thing look so easy?" he complained. Yosho's face took on a serious expression.

"Why are you asking? Ryoko has a great deal of fighting ability, yet you've never compared yourself to her," he pointed out. 

"I never really believed a human could do that sort of thing before," Tenchi admitted. "Ryoko can fight really well, but she isn't human. I thought that was why she was so good at it..." 

Yosho shook his head. "Ryoko is talented, but her ability doesn't stem from her genetics," he said reasonably, "nor is it training, as in Ranma's case. She has simply been fighting for a large part of her life, and the experience has served her well." 

"But what about Ranma?" Tenchi asked.

"Ranma," said Yosho slowly, "has been raised with the martial arts as the focus for his life. To the exclusion of nearly all else." 

Tenchi grinned. "You can sort of tell that, Grampa." he said dryly. 

Yosho nodded.

"That is true. However, you can also tell that he has a passion for his art. This is what allows him to excel, Tenchi."

"So...I have to like to fight to be as good as he is?"

Yosho smiled inscrutably. "Perhaps you should ask him that question." Yosho let his grandson ponder that point for a moment, then raised his own bokken. "Let's continue your training."

Tenchi nodded as he raised his bokken in a ready stance. His grandfather did the same. A long moment passed between them, with no further motion save the leaves on the surrounding trees rustling in a slight breeze. On some unspoken signal, Tenchi charged.

"KIYAAA!" the young prince shouted as he charged his grandfather, bokken raised. The two met in a flurry of blows, neither penetrating the other's defense. A final slash came from Yosho, which Tenchi promptly blocked. It set him off balance, though, and he leapt backwards, and his grandfather did the same. Tenchi watched warily, looking for another attack. However, he was taken completely by surprise as the older man disappeared in a blur of motion. 

"Eh?" Tenchi exclaimed, alarmed. "Gone!? But—," He looked around hurriedly for his missing teacher. He saw no sign of him though. His confusion was brushed aside as he heard a familiar voice behind him. 

"Hello."

Without conscious thought, Tenchi's wooden sword blurred into motion, coming to rest across his back, braced on his other arm, scant moments before the overhead strike impacted with the improvised block, denied it's target of Tenchi's shoulder. The two men leapt apart again, Tenchi breathing heavily from the shock of the near hit, and Yosho smirking slightly. They each rushed to the attack again, bringing their swords together. As they struggled, Yosho smiled over the crossed swords at his grandson. 

"You're finally learning," he said commented placidly. "Eh, Tenchi?" 

Tenchi grinned. "Pretty good, Huh?" He blinked in surprise, as his grandfather was no longer before him. 

"Hello."

Tenchi began to turn at the sound of the voice, but this time, he wasn't fast enough. Yosho's bokken impacted his head, accompanied by a sharp spike of pain. 

"Fooled you!" Yosho chuckled. 

"Ite!! That's cheating, old man!" Tenchi began to protest, but stopped short as he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. Wiping his forehead with his sleeve, he glanced down the path to see two people heading his way. "Oh! Hi there, Ayeka, Sasami-chan!" he greeted cheerfully. 

Sasami smiled sunnily at him and waved as she approached. The elder princess looked up as he called out, her cheeks coloring slightly. 

"H-Hello, Tenchi-sama," she replied. Tenchi blinked, then smiled nervously in return, turning away uncomfortably as quickly as he could without being rude. He knew that look. It usually meant that Ryoko would pop up in a few moments, and he didn't want to give either one a reason to start a fight. 

To his surprise, when he looked back to his grandfather, Mihoshi was already there, pouring Yosho a drink from a steaming thermos. _Jeez! _Tenchi thought with amazement for what must have been the umpteenth time since the women from space had taken up residence at his home, _They're everywhere! Oh well, my head could use the break, I guess. _He mused idly, rubbing the latest grandfather-inflicted lump on his abused cranium. 

Ayeka looked up as they walked toward where Yosho and Mihoshi were, putting her hand to her mouth in surprise. 

"I didn't expect Mihoshi to be here," Ayeka murmured. The blond GP officer smiled brightly. 

"I was watching Tenchi work out!" she chirped. "He's soo muscular, you know." 

Tenchi smirked. "I take after Gramps here," 

Yosho simply raised an eyebrow. "'Gramps' here can still whip your butt, Tenchi." 

Tenchi grimaced and rubbed at the goose egg on his head from the sparring session. "No kidding." 

Yosho chuckled as he turned to the older of the two princesses' at Tenchi's side. "What's that you've go there, Ayeka?"

Ayeka, watching the conversation, seemed startled at being addressed. "Oh! I'd forgotten," she said demurely, glancing down at the bento in her hands. "I hope you haven't eaten. I brought some snacks..."

All was suddenly stilled in the clearing as Yosho and Tenchi both froze. Ayeka noted the change and speared the two men with a baleful glare that was in direct contrast to her cheerful mood a moment before. 

"And what are you afraid of, hmm?" she asked icily. 

"Umm...Nothing," Tenchi assured her quickly, examining the food. _It looks ok... but if Ayeka made it... _he thought nervously. 

"I'll try one!" 

Tenchi turned to face Mihoshi as she spoke, not believing his ears. The blond detective had already grabbed some of the proffered bento with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth. He started to grab for the tea to help her keep the food down when Mihoshi gasped and put a hand to her cheek. 

"Are you all right, Mihoshi?" he asked urgently. 

"It's SO delish!" she gushed. 

"Really?" Tenchi asked in amazement. "You're sure?"

"Tenchi!" Ayeka wailed in dismay.

"Ah! Heh, Just kidding!"

Upon Mihoshi's surprising revelation, everyone began reaching for the food. The little picnic began as everyone complimented Ayeka on the food, and Ayeka blushed modestly as she accepted the praise. 

Yosho grinned. "Have you been secretly practicing, Ayeka? You used to confuse salt with sugar." 

As Ayeka smiled thinly in reply, Tenchi leaned down to Sasami who was sitting next to him. 

"... She did?"

There was no humor in Sasami's weary nod.

"Uh huh." 

After that, they ate in silence for a few moments, then Mihoshi turned to Ayeka and smiled.

"This one is especially scrumptious," The blond woman enthused. "You must share your recipe!" 

Ayeka stiffened. "Um. Well, that is..."

The Juraian princess stammered for a moment while everyone watched until the sound of someone approaching through the nearby brush caught the attention of the group. After a moment, Ranma and Washu emerged. 

"Oh, I guess they're done, practicin'..." Ranma noted with a little disappointment. "Hey, a picnic! All right!" 

Washu laughed as Ranma eagerly headed for the group with her in tow. He grinned at her over his shoulder, a little sheepishly. They joined the others and they all sat down to eat. 

The picnic had proceeded peacefully, more or less (discounting Ayeka's futile attempts to get Ranma to eat with more decorum)... At least until Ryoko had arrived. Her casually seductive greeting to Tenchi was met by a heated retort from Ayeka, and Ryoko responded in kind. It seemed for a moment that they were about to attempt to injure each other, when Ranma, used to such occurrences, turned to Sasami.

"Tastes great, imouto-chan," he said around a mouthful of pickled skipjack. He gave Sasami a wink and a thumbs-up. 

"Um, Saotome-san, Miss Ayeka made these bento..." Mihoshi began confusedly. Ranma shook his head.

"Naw, it was Sasami. I can tell."

In unison, everyone's gaze turned to rest on Ayeka, who was rapidly turning bright red. Sasami giggled as Ayeka fixed Ranma with a glare that could blister paint. 

Ranma blinked in surprise at the ire he was recieving. "Huh? 'Smatter, Ayeka?" 

Washu stifled the urge to laugh as Ayeka glowered. Ryoko was not nearly as restrained, and began to chuckle. Ayeka turned and opened her mouth to deliver a scathing insult when Tenchi stepped deftly between them, proffering a snack from the bento. 

"C'mon, Ryoko, try some. It's good!" he said cheerfully.

"Well," Ryoko said smugly, allowing Tenchi to defuse the coming fight, "A nibble of Sasami's cooking shouldn't hurt..." She trailed off for a moment, stopping in mid-grab. "Eh? Ryo-Ohki?" 

That got everyone's attention. They all turned to look at the cabbit, who, unnoticed until now, was sitting beside Mihoshi in her toddler form. She was staring at the sky intensely, when suddenly, she let out a low, sibilant hiss. Ranma tensed, but managed to keep his composure. The sky flashed with light in the distance, and the sound of a rapidly approaching object could be heard. 

Ranma's danger sense flared, and he jumped to his feet, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Yosho had done the same. In a blur of motion, the object dropped from the sky hard enough to make the ground shake, and kicked up a large cloud of dust with a resounding boom. Tenchi got to his feet along with the rest of the group. 

Ranma stared into the dust cloud. "There's someone in there...the ki is... Hey, I recognize-" he began. Just then the breeze started to clear the dust away, revealing a silhouette that was all too familiar.

Tenchi gasped.

"No way..."

For all anyone could see, The person stepping into view was identical to Ryoko, save that she was dressed in a pecuiliar jumpsuit, slightly more stylized than Ryoko's current blue and pink 'elf' outfit. She advanced on the group slowly, hovering inches above the ground. 

"You..." She said slowly, turning to Tenchi. "You are the one who did Kagato in, aren't you!" 

Ranma watched as Tenchi shifted uneasily. He just KNEW this was going to be trouble. 

***

Nodoka and Nabiki faced the steep hillside in dismay, suddenly very conscious of Nabiki's injuries. 

"Oh, great." Nabiki sighed. "Why can't anything ever be easy?" Nodoka smiled gently and escorted the injured girl to a fallen tree nearby to rest a moment. Nabiki smiled gratefully and eased herself into a sitting position. "Thanks, Auntie." 

Nodoka nodded. "I'm sorry, Nabiki-chan. I'd forgotten it was such a difficult hike. We should have waited until you had a chance to grow stronger..."

Nabiki shrugged tiredly. "That's all right, Auntie. If it isn't one thing, it's another. Can we sit for a while though?" 

Nodoka smiled apologetically. "Of course." She was about to sit next to Nabiki when there was a whistling sound, followed a few moments later by a loud boom, rocking the clearing. 

Nabiki grabbed at the log she was sitting on to keep her balance as the earth shook. "Of course, going to find out what's going on would be good too," she added dryly. 

Nodoka gave her a concerned glance. "Are you sure, Nabiki-chan?"

Nabiki looked up at the older woman slowly, as a rueful grin spread across her face. "Not really. But I'll be kicking myself later if I don't at least get to see what's Ranma-kun's gotten himself into this time," 

Nodoka smiled ruefully. "True. Let's go then, shall we?"

The two women slowly began making their way up the hillside to the Masaki shrine. 

***

"Are you...Are you really Ryoko?" 

Tenchi's hesitant question to the newcomer hung in the air a moment. Ayeka turned to Ryoko, irritation written all over her face. 

"So who is she? Some long lost relative?" The princess sneered.

"How the hell should I know who she is?" Ryoko shot back. Ranma suppressed a twinge of nostalgia as he listened to them bicker. It looked as though they were going to start fighting when Ryoko's doppelganger spoke again. 

"I'll ask you one more time," she smirked, addressing Tenchi, "YOU killed Kagato, didn't you? 'Fess up! I'm right, aren't I?" 

Ranma glanced at his cousin, who was staring at her, trying to decide what to say. He was about to intervene when Ryoko stepped forward. 

"Cool it, beautiful," The space pirate said lazily, soaring into the air. She stood in midair, nose to nose with her double. "Who...or what...are you? You're ruining our picnic." 

"..." said the doppelganger.

Ranma watched for a moment. This had all the earmarks of an impending fight. He stared hard at Ryoko's lookalike. The resemblance was scary. She looked EXACTLY like Ryoko, right down to the last detail, save for a diagonal slash on either cheek. 

"Washu," he murmured to the girl sitting beside him, "This doesn't look good...Everyone should start moving back." 

Washu blinked, then nodded after a moment, stepping away from the group, gesturing for Sasami and Mihoshi to follow, summoning her astral computer at the same time. Yosho did the same. As they did so, the intruder spoke to Ryoko. 

"You are obstructing me." With no further warning, Ryoko was knocked backwards by a devastating punch, flying headlong into a tree. Said tree was not capable of withstanding the assault and promptly broke in half, landing on top of the hapless space pirate. 

Washu groaned. "She can be SO impulsive,"

"Ryoko-neechan!" cried Sasami, rushing to Ryoko's aid, trailed by Mihoshi. 

"Ite." groaned the woodpile.

***

Tenchi whirled on Ryoko's lookalike.

"You can't just attack who ever you want!" he shouted.

"I am not programmed to discuss such things," came the ominous reply. "NOW! Time to fight!" she said, summoning an energy sword which, in contrast to the resemblance was oddly different than Ryoko's. 

She lunged at Tenchi, intent on doing damage. Tenchi leaped backwards to avoid the intended hit, but she never made it to her destination, as she was intercepted by a sizzling blue ki blast and an angry shout of "MOKO TAKABISHA!" The blast intercepted her along her flight path and sent her flying into the trees. Ryoko's double burst out of the trees almost as quickly as she went in and angrily looked for her attacker. 

"Who did that!" she snarled. 

Ranma smirked and turned to face her, assuming a defensive posture. 

"I did. I dunno what you want with Tenchi, but attacking an unarmed man with a sword ain't good manners." 

"As if you should be giving lectures on manners," huffed Ayeka quietly. Tenchi turned to her with a shushing gesture, watching as his cousin intervened in what should have been his fight. He frowned to himself, wondering if he should stop Ranma, but ultimately decided to stand back for the moment.

Ranma and the intruder faced each other silently for a moment. Suddenly, she raced toward him, sword raised. Ranma watched her approach, then at the last moment, blurred into motion. He dodged the wild sword strike, but as he did, he felt a slight heat near his chest. 

"Ranma! Be careful!" Washu shouted, alarmed. Ranma looked down. A rather long, shallow gash had split one of the seams of his Chinese shirt. 

"Hey!" Ranma protested angrily, "I liked this shirt!" _Hmm. A little faster than Ryoko...and she has a cleaner technique. Ryoko's technique is mostly self taught, so someone musta trained this one._

Ryoko's double frowned. "You aren't what I'm here for. Stop interfering, and I won't have to kill you." 

Ranma grinned. "Uh-uh. You smacked Ryoko for no good reason, and now ya wanna beat up my cousin? Nothin' doin'. I'm your fight." He assumed a loose defensive stance, smirking confidently. 

Tenchi's brow creased in concern. "Ranma, are you ok with this? I mean, you already had that fight this morning-," he asked worriedly. 

Ranma smiled easily at Tenchi. "Yeah, but this'll be a good stress buster," He replied glibly. "She looks tough. Should be fun." 

Tenchi blinked, but nodded and moved back a few paces. Yosho caught his eye and tossed something to him. As the object landed in his hand, Tenchi realized what it was. Tenchi-ken. _Grampa's not taking any chances, _he observed. _Better watch out. _

Ranma almost laughed as she flew toward him again, fast enough to blur slightly. _Man, she's not much of a technical fighter, is she? _He was able to dodge her attack cleanly this time, however. She pulled to a stop behind him, and turned slowly, mild surprise on her features. 

"That attack was faster than my last, but this time, I was unable to connect," she commented.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Ya ready to start takin' me serious now?"

"All right, let's FIGHT!" she said as she rushed to the attack. 

Washu frowned, glancing up from her computer. "I wish he'd stop doing that," she said quietly. 

Yosho tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"He's not taking it seriously." Washu sighed. "He could get hurt."

"Fretting is unlike you, Washu-san."

Washu snorted. "Fat lot you know. I always worry about Ryoko's fights. I just don't say anything." 

"Perhaps you should. It might help alleviate some of the tension between you," Yosho observed. 

"I doubt it. Ryoko's the stubborn sort." 

At this, Yosho snorted. "I hadn't noticed," he said dryly. 

Washu chuckled, her eyes never leaving the battle. Ranma was matching his attacker's speed, occasionally tossing in a hit or recieving a glancing blow, but mostly just laughing at her. "What is he doing?" she exclaimed nervously after a particularly near miss on the part of Ryoko's double. 

Yosho smiled. "Calm yourself. He's simply taking her measure. Probably gauging the differences between Ryoko's fighting style and hers. It will get...serious in a moment."

Washu shot him an irritated look. "I know, I know. I do have a little experience in this area, myself, you know..."

"So you do. You're still worried, though."

Washu nodded. "Point. Can he win?" She asked nervously.

"Shouldn't you be the one to tell me that?"

"The answer to the question is no," Washu said wryly. "However, if you had asked me if he could beat Ryoko, even half blasted out of her mind as she was, I would have said the same thing." 

Yosho grinned, giving her a meaningful look. "He does have a way of defying the rules, doesn't he?"

Washu smiled softly. "You have NO idea."

***

Ranma dropped to the ground opposite his opponent. They had tested each other's limits and, to his surprise, she was better than he'd expected. He was unable to stop himself from grinning as he noted his opponent didn't even appear strained. _She's good. Almost as good as Ryoko and a little bit more powerful. How do I pull this off? _

"Are you finished?" Ryoko's double asked, smirking a little. 

"Heh. Why? Ya tired already?" he shot back. 

His opponent actually laughed at that. "Get ready to die." 

Ranma's grin grew wider as he reached again into his bag of tricks. He knew his father wanted the Umisenken sealed, but he hadn't actually made Ranma promise to do so. Even so, Ranma rarely used them, preferring to rely on his regular techniques, rather than an art originally designed for theft. Still, what with his opponent's superhuman abilities, this could help even out the power difference. He assumed the stance for the Umisenken, beginning to use his battle aura to blur his physical presence.

His opponent gaped, and Ranma ignored the startled exclamations of Tenchi and the others. 

"Bring it on, lady," Ranma invited tauntingly, a blank expression on his face.

Momentary shock turned to a speeding rush, and Ranma was hard pressed to finish the attack. Using all of his speed, he vanished from his startled attacker's line of sight. "WHITE SNAKE VENOM RELIABLE FIST!" he cried as he reappeared behind her, striking out with the attack at her dead angle. She let out a pained grunt, and Ranma smiled, sure he'd tilted the odds in his favor. 

Then her hair exploded in his face. 

Not really, of course, but that was what it felt like to Ranma. Hundreds of filament-like needles fired out of the back of her head, straight for Ranma's face. His danger sense gave him a moment warning, and that was all that saved his head as he hurled his arm in the path of the attack. 

The needles themselves weren't too damaging, but they broke his concentration long enough for his attacker to locate him and deliver a hard blow to the head, albeit muted slightly by the pain of the injury Ranma had dealt to her. Ranma crumpled to the ground, momentarily senseless. 

She staggered over to him, and raised her sword. "You are good. A shame that your potential will be wasted..." 

***

Sasami and Mihoshi tugged at the broken tree lying on Ryoko. 

"Oh no," Sasami said pleadingly to the woodpile. "Ryoko, don't die..." 

She trailed off as one part of the tree suddenly lifted off the pile of debris, Ryoko's head following. 

"Oh good," Sasami exclaimed with no small amount of relief, "You're OK!"

Ryoko expression was a little annoyed, as tilting her head from side to side, cracking her abused neck. She stood up, scattering the fragments of tree trunk. 

"Grr. THAT BITCH IS DEAD!" she snarled, drawing in power and preparing to rush to the attack. 

Mihoshi winced. "Um. Could you wait for us to get out of the way, first?" she asked timidly.

***

Ranma shook off the impact as his vision cleared in time to see the woman who looked like Ryoko begin to swing downward with her energy sword. _What happened? Dammit, NO! I can't check out like this!_ As the sword came down he threw up his hands catching his attacker in the chest with a point blank ki-blast.

The blast was hastily gathered and fired, but had enough power to push her backward and him out of danger of losing his head. Tenchi stepped forward, igniting the Tenchi-ken. 

"Are you all right, Ranma?" 

Ranma stood slowly and nodded. "Yeah," he replied sheepishly. "Didn't take her seriously enough." He stepped forward again, summoning a ball of blue ki, and closing his fist around it. His improvised Ki saber flared to life, and Ranma and Tenchi turned to face the intruder with Ryoko's face. When they both looked to the girl, she smirked, looking at Tenchi. "Heh...not bad...But still, the power of the Light Hawk Sword, long sought by my master, should be much stronger than this."

Tenchi gaped at the taunt, and Ranma looked at his cousin quizzically. The air was still for a moment, then a faint roaring sound could be heard. The three glanced in the direction of the sound, just in time to see Ryoko, practically glowing with fury, slam into her double. Ranma and Tenchi heard Ryoko yell as she flashed by. 

"You HURT ME!" 

"Yeek!" the girl managed before the momentum of Ryoko's attack carried the two lookalikes away into the distance. 

Ranma and Tenchi glanced at each other as they sailed away. They were about to follow when the rest of the group rushed up, Sasami and Washu heading directly for Ranma.

"Ranma-niichan! Are you all right? I was so worried!" she cried. 

Ranma blinked as the sobbing girl hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shirt. Blinking, he looked up at Washu, who had stopped her approach and was watching, her head tilted and a funny little smile on her face. His normal bluster died on his lips, as he slowly returned the fierce embrace.

"Ano...I'm ok, Sasami-chan. She just surprised me, ne? Can't beat me that easily." He said, aiming the comment at the redhead watching as well as the little girl in his arms. Washu nodded as Sasami pulled out of the hug, nodding and wiping at her teary eyes with her sleeves.

"I'm so glad," Sasami admitted. A muted cough drew the attention of the three. Yosho stood beside Ayeka, Tenchi and Mihoshi, who were all watching the interaction, smiling. Ranma blushed as Yosho spoke.

"Perhaps we should go check in Ryoko's progress, hmm?" he suggested.

Ranma nodded hurriedly as Washu and Ayeka chuckled. The mood of the moment broken, the group rushed from the clearing in the direction Ryoko and her opponent had taken. 

***

Ryoko streaked toward her opponent, sword in hand. Both of them moving at top speed, they clashed again and again over the treetops. Bright flashes of light marked a trail of the battle through the sky. Ryoko and her twin burst apart after a fiery clash, over the lake next to the Masaki home. Ryoko glanced down at her sword as it began to shimmer weakly.

Her twin smirked. "Heh. You done now?"

"Shaddap!" Ryoko snarled. She pulled her fist back as it began to glow. "Maybe you'd like a taste of...THIS!" Ryoko thrust her hand forward, unleashing a lightning bolt large enough to vaporize a small tree. "Zeus ain't got nothin' on me!" 

Ryoko's boast was cut short as the electricity dispersed on the stranger's abruptly erected force shield. 

"She stopped-?"

Ryoko's opponent dropped her shield, with the threat gone, smiling nastily. 

"Let's see how you like some of your own medicine," she laughed. 

***

Ranma and Tenchi burst through the trees, followed by the rest of the group just in time to see Ryoko's double hit the original with a blast of lightning so intense they were all forced to look away from the blinding light. 

When the light cleared, they all saw a limp Ryoko hitting the water of the lake.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi yelled in alarm, watching her drop beneath the surface of the water. 

Ranma's gaze, however, was fixed on the sky, where Ryoko's double was building up for another blast. "Kuso! She's gonna kill her!" he swore. 

"What?!"

"Ryoko-neechan!"

"Ranma, wait!"

This last was from Tenchi, as Ranma dashed away from the group, heading for the dock. All he could do is watch as his cousin dashed away. Tenchi was shocked to note that Ranma had begun to shimmer with a brilliant blue battle aura as he ran.

"Interesting," Yosho noted, from behind Tenchi. "He is much more powerful than I suspected." 

"But still not enough to beat her," Washu interjected worriedly. "He's being reckless..." 

Washu's comment was interrupted by the release of the blast Ryoko's double had been building. There was a thunderous crash as the electricity smashed into the lake water, dooming the space pirate beneath. 

"NO!" Ranma's angry shout echoed over the lake, as Sasami and Mihoshi gasped in horror.

Tenchi watched in surprise as his cousin reached the end of the dock, glaring up at Ryoko's double. Ranma's aura intensified, fiery azure light pouring off him in waves as he pulled his hands together, preparing a ki blast. 

A strong pulling from his left hand, however, suddenly diverted his attention. He looked down, and to his amazement, the Tenchi-ken was twitching and squirming in his hand. 

"Grampa!" he gasped in alarm, even as the pulling grew stronger. Tenchi reflexively tightened his grip. As he did so, the two red gems in the hilt of the Tenchi-ken began to glow. 

Washu and Yosho turned their attention from the confrontation at the dock as Tenchi called out. 

The boy had his feet planted in the ground, pulling at the Tenchi-ken with all his might as the sword struggled like a living thing against his grasp. The most astonishing parts of the spectacle, however, were the jewels in the hilt of the master key. 

The normally slightly glossy ruby gems were lit from within by a fierce crimson glow. Yosho took in the sight, then glanced at the confrontation on the dock. Ryoko's lookalike had powered up another blast, and was preparing to fire at Ranma, who had finished readying his own ki bolt. As his other grandson fearlessly faced down a being of an order of power far higher than him, Yosho came to an instant decision. 

"Tenchi! Let go!" he ordered. 

"What?!"

"Quickly!" 

Tenchi was an obedient boy, and needed no further urging. He relinquished his grip in the Tenchi-ken and the wooden hilt flew from his fingers like a guided missile. 

It closed the distance to Ranma rapidly, coming into contact with his battle aura just as the two combatants fired. 

___

As the gems in the hilt of the Tenchi-ken came into contact with Ranma's battle aura, there was a momentary flash from each. Blue met crimson in a silent explosion, and swelled into a single corona of purple light, centered on Ranma himself. The energy permeated Ranma's battle aura, bolstering and expanding it into a sphere of power that blew apart the simple wooden dock he was standing on, leaving him suspended in midair over the water. Within the sphere, the new energy finally bolstered the attack, swirling down his arms and out his hands in a focused eruption of power. 

The supercharged Moko Takabisha impacted with the electric blast, but at its new power level, instead of being overwhelmed, the purple beam cut easily through the lookalike's attack, impacting hard with the attacker beyond it. Ryoko's double screamed under the unexpected assault, writhing in pain. 

She likely would have died, cooked alive within the attack, if not for an unlikely rescuer. 

A blur shot up from the lake, moving at incredible speed to collide heavily with the lookalike, knocking her from the path of the blast as the blast itself seemed to distort around the fast moving object. Seconds later, the blast stopped.

As she was thrown, unconscious, to the ground below, the blur also stopped. 

Revealing an unharmed and fiercely grinning Ryoko.

Tenchi gaped. This was all too much to take in. "Ryoko!" he cried in relief. Said space pirate raised her fist triumphantly from midair. 

"Hah!" She crowed. "How do ya like that, you cheap copy?" Then she noticed the scene around her. "Huh? What's going on?"

At that moment, Ranma's power gave out. The sphere of purple energy winked out in an instant, dropping the drained teenage martial artist. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a problem, but since the initial power surge has destroyed the dock he had stood on, Ranma was unceremoniously dropped into the icy waters of the lake. 

Tenchi surged forward. "Ranma!" This, he could handle. He kicked off his sandals, pulling off his shirt at the same time, and prepared to dive in to retrieve his cousin, but Ryoko stopped him at the last moment. 

"Hold on, Tenchi. I got him." 

"Ryoko?"

"Just wanted to see you take your shirt off, that's all," Ryoko said saucily, then winked and dove under the surface of the water. Behind him, Ayeka blushed and began to sputter.

Tenchi reddened as he slowly put his shirt back on.

***

Nabiki and Nodoka stopped short as they entered the clearing. 

"Strange," Nodoka murmured. "I don't remember a house here..." Nabiki looked up curiously, carefully concealing a wince. 

"There's some people over there, Auntie," she noted. "Maybe someone can tell us what's going on?"

Nodoka nodded and they made their way to the group. No one noticed the approach of the two women as they were all gathered around a young woman lying prone on the ground, save for a young man standing off to one side who was staring at the lake itself. As they drew near, a small blue haired girl seemed to sense their approach. 

"Oh, hello," she said brightly, turning to face them. "Who're you?" 

As she spoke, the rest of the group turned. Nodoka was slightly surprised at the variety of the group. Young women of all ages, and hair colors, surrounded an older man in a priest's robe. The older man turned slowly, his eyes widening as he saw Nodoka.

"No-chan?"

"Father..."

The moment stretched on as Yosho and Nodoka gazed uncertainly at each other. The uncomfortable silence was broken by a splash. 

A young girl with wild cyan hair had come up from underwater, cradling a small, but very familiar red-haired girl in her arms.

"Ranma!" Nodoka gasped. She ran to the side of the girl who had retrieved her son. The cyan haired girl gave her an odd look, but lay the unconscious girl on the ground.

"She's ok, didn't even swallow than much water." Ranma's rescuer commented. Nodoka knelt down and was relieved to see a steady rise and fall of Ranma's breasts. Nodoka put a hand on her chest, trying to slow the triphammer beating of her heart. A red-haired girl approached as she watched, and quickly and efficiently checked Ranma's pulse and other vitals. 

The girl appeared too young to be a doctor, but her self-assurance spoke volumes, and Nodoka allowed her to examine Ranma. Perhaps she was a nurse, or something of that sort. After a moment, the girl looked up, smiling a little. 

"She'll be fine. Just needs a little rest." 

Nodoka smiled in return, gauging the red-haired girl. There was something about the way she had examined Ranma... Well, the girl was VERY attractive, and her son could definitely benefit from the attention of someone so knowledgeable about medicine.

__

Wai! My son is so MANLY! She thought in satisfaction. _But Nabiki-chan…Oh dear. _

Nodoka's train of thought was ended by a slight cough, and the group's attention was pulled from the unconscious Ranma to Nabiki, who was examining the spot where the dock abruptly ended in a splintered mess. 

"What happened here?" she asked curiously. No one answered, but the group as a whole glanced down at the twin of the girl who'd pulled Ranma from the water, still unconscious on the ground, then at Ranma. 

An understanding light appeared in Nabiki's eyes. 

"Ah," she nodded. "What's Ranma-kun gone and done now?" 

The dark haired boy who had been down by the lake chuckled nervously at Nabiki's observation.

"Ah…that's a long story, Miss...?"

Nabiki blinked and winced, suddenly remembering exactly why she was there. 

"Ah, I'm Nabiki Tendo," she offered. With a sudden burst of irony, she continued with a wry grin, "Sorry about this…" 

***

High in the trees above them, a slight figure watched. Konatsu tensed slightly as the old man glanced upwards again. The slender kunoichi frowned daintily as he looked away again. He would have liked to be able to get closer to find out what was going on, but the older man had monstrous ki levels. If he ventured any closer, discovery of his observation of Ranma's mother and the Tendo girl was certain. As it was, he was courting disaster by dithering any longer. He was not at all certain that intruding on Ranma's family was wise, but he would never contradict Ukyo-sama. 

With an apologetic glance backward at the people gathered by the lake, Konatsu darted back through the treetops to inform Ukyo of the whereabouts of one Ranma Saotome...

***

D3 prostrated himself before his mistress. As well as one who had no strict corporeal form could, at any rate. For a long moment, nothing was said. Then Tokimi broke the silence. 

"What is it, D3?" 

"There has been…an anomaly," he admitted. "A recent scan of 'Earth' indicates that Washu has done something unprecedented. Her power has been split between two individuals."

There was a long silence as Tokimi digested that. 

"It is of no consequence," she finally decided. "Gekido is nearly ready to emerge, is he not?"

"Our monitoring of the situation suggests he is nearly ready to take action to liberate himself." 

"Very well. Washu and Tsunami have made the opening moves. Jurai is central to the game this time. My sisters have secured the future, so we shall take hold of the present. Once Gekido is free, send him to Jurai." 

"His objective?"

"To acquire and bring before me the Emperor of Jurai."

AN: Well, at long last, It's here!!! Thanks to Thermopyle and Rezantis, who pre-read this for me, and KPJAM, who made me start work on it again when I'd all but given up. No preview of next time, because I think I teased enough during the course of the chapter. ^_^

Anyway, I've recaptured my ability to work on this, somewhat, so it WILL continue, just...slowly. Thanks for reading!


End file.
